After fire in Kolkata metro, people had to be evacuated.

Over a dozen passengers of Kolkata Metro fell ill and had to be evacuated as smoke engulfed the coach they were travelling in following a fire on the train.

The fire was reported from the first coach of a metro train between Rabindra Sadan and Maidan stations in the heart of the city, not very far from each other.

Among those who fell ill are many senior citizens.

"16 are injured, 15 have minor injuries. One person has fractured his leg," a metro official said.

The fire was doused by the metro staff using water from fire hydrants. West Bengal Fire Service and Kolkata Police Disaster Management group are attending, the Kolkata Metro tweeted.

" We are relieved there was no casualty. We called in the police and fire brigade as soon as we heard of the smoke. The train was stopped and metro workers tried to tackle with fire extinguishers," senior official Indrani Banerjee said.

Some passengers said there was absolute panic when smoke filled the train coaches, but there was no communication from the authorities about the situation.

The official said the driver should have made announcement. "If he did not, the matter will be probed," she added.