At least 12 passengers were killed this evening when they rushed out of their train compartment in panic following reports of fire only to be run over by another train on the adjacent tracks in Maharashtra state's Jalgaon district, officials said.

Twelve bodies were sent to a nearby hospital while six to seven persons were injured, special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale told PTI.

The accident took place between Maheji and Pardhade stations near Pachora, more than 400 km from Mumbai an express train halted after someone pulled the chain at around 5 pm, Central Railway officials said, without confirming the death toll.

Some passengers of the express train jumped out and were hit by a Delhi-bound express train coming from the opposite direction from Bengaluru, said Central Railway's chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila.

Karale said a "fire incident" occurred on Pushpak Express, at km 372/07 between Maheji and Pardhade stations. The train stopped at the location and some passengers disembarked. Train No. 12627, Bengaluru-New Delhi Karnataka Express hit people standing on the railway tracks, he added.

"Our preliminary information is that there were sparks and smoke inside one of the general coaches of Pushpak Express due to either `hot axle' or `brake-binding' (jamming) and some passengers panicked. They pulled the chain and some of them jumped down. At the same time, Karnataka Express train was passing," a senior railway official said.