A rumour of fire in Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express train turned out to be fatal for four passengers, who jumped out on tracks and were run over by another express train in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred around 4.15 pm between Hetampur and Dholpur section of Jhansi railway division, they said.

These passengers had hurriedly disembarked from their train following a chain pull caused by the fire rumour, an official said.

“The passengers deboarded the train after panic spread over reports of a fire in the Khajuraho-Udaipur Intercity Express,” North Central Railway’s Jhansi division Public Relation Officer Manoj Singh told PTI over phone.

Just then, the Patalkot Express was passing by on the adjacent tracks, he added.

The four passengers who had alighted from the train, failed to notice the approaching train and were run over, resulting in their deaths.

The incident triggered panic among passengers, and railway authorities and police were alerted immediately.