At least one person was feared dead after fire broke out in an AC coach of Howrah-Dehradun Express in Giridih district in the wee hours on Tuesday, senior officials of East Central Railway said.

The fire was spotted in the coach between Parasnath and Nimiaghat stations, Divisional Railway Manager (Dhanbad Division) Sudhir Kumar said.

At least one person was feared dead, senior Divisional Commercial Manager Dayanand said. Relief train and ambulance have been sent to the spot, he said.

According to a Railway Ministry spokesperson at New Delhi, the fire broke out at 2:30 am in B-1 AC coach and then it spread to B-2 AC coach. Both the coaches have been detached from the train.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and an inquiry has been ordered by Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS), the spokesman said.

Railway has set up a help line for relatives of the passengers. The helpline numbers are 033-26413660, 033-26402243 and 032-62220518.