Ten people were run over and an equal number injured by a train at a place about 12km from here, this evening, a railway official said.
According to East Coast railway spokesperson, some of the passengers of Bokaro Express (Alleppy to Dhanbad), proceeding to Bokaro Steel city, pulled the chain at the railway yard at Gotlam station near Vizianagaram town when they heard a rumour that a compartment of the train was on fire and jumped out on the tracks at around 6.50pm.
As it was dark, they did not see Rayagada-Vijaywada passenger train coming from the opposite direction on the adjacent track and were run over, he said.
"The passengers pulled the chain as rumours spread that one of the compartments (of Bokaro Express) had caught fire. As it was dark, they did not notice the oncoming train", the railway official said adding ten passengers of Bokaro Express were killed and an equal number injured.
However, Vizianagaram SP Tafseer Iqbal put the death toll at 8 and the number of injured at two.
Late into the night, railway authorities were busy clearing the track of scattered limbs.
