Ranchi: Passengers of the Ranchi-bound Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express had a close shave after a power line snapped, leading to a blaze above a coach as the train was passing under an over-bridge at 5.30pm on Tuesday near Silli, about 50km from the capital.

Railway sources said a technical snag caused the overhead power line to snap, leading to a spark and then a fire above coach S6.

Senior divisional commercial manager of Ranchi Avinash Kumar said no passenger was hurt. The train too did not suffer any damage. "All passengers are safe. Fire extinguishers were used to douse the flames above coach S6. There is absolutely nothing to worry," he said over WhatsApp.

Senior CPRO of South Eastern Railway Sanjoy Ghosh said that a snag in the overhead electric wire led to the fire on the protective sheet (plastic) below the surface of the road over-bridge that was being constructed. "The fire is being controlled. No coaches are affected," he iterated.

Ramesh Choudhary, a businessman who was in coach S5 said all passengers of S6 came out pretty quickly.

"We heard something that sounded like an explosion as soon as our coach (S5) crossed the over-bridge. The train then came to a screeching halt. It was a lucky escape for all of us," he said.

Silli resident Sukhdev Singh said he noticed thick black smoke billowing from the over-bridge. "A train was stationary below the bridge. I ran to find out what happened. Others rushed out too, to help get passengers get off the train," he said.