At least 10 people were injured, including a child.
There was no fire, but rumours of it were enough to ignite pandemonium aboard a train, leading to the death of three passengers, who were crushed under a goods rake, officials said.
Around 8 pm on Friday, passengers on the Sasaram-Ranchi Intercity Express were about to settle in for the night when the flames of a rumour began engulfing a few coaches; someone said the engine had caught fire, and panic ensued.
The train was near Kumandih station in Latehar district when this happened, and several passengers jumped off the train, thinking they were fleeing for their lives. Blinded by fear, they failed to notice an oncoming goods train, which crushed three to death and left many others injured, including a child.
Manika Police Station In-Charge Jai Prakash Sharma said, "We had got information about a train accident. When we reached here, we found that two men and a woman have died. A girl and her mother were among the injured. They were rushed to the district hospital, along with other injured people, and the girl's condition is stable. The process of identifying the people who have died is still on."
The spokesperson of Dhanbad Railway Division said detailed information is being collected about the incident.