Seven persons, including an Australian woman passenger, were charred to death when two AC coaches of the Howrah-Dehradun Express caught fire near Nimiaghat Railway station in Giridih district of Jharkhand in the wee hours of Tuesday.

More than a dozen passengers, including three Australian women, sustained minor burn injuries in the fire accident, according to railway officials.

The Australian women passengers were research scholars and were on their way to Bodh Gaya from Howrah. The injured were admitted to the Railway Divisional Hospital.

Railway officials are suspecting the hand of miscreants behind the fire accident. The fire, which broke out first in B-1 AC coach and soon spread to B-2 AC coach, was spotted between Gomo and Nimiaghat Railway stations. (JUBS)