Ludhiana, Oct 4 (IANS): At least three people were injured after 10 coaches of the Jhelum Express passenger train derailed in Punjab's Ludhiana district, police said on Tuesday.

Injured people, travelling on the train, have been sent to Civil hospital Ludhiana, the Ministry of Railways tweeted.

The accident took place around 3.10 am. Near Phillaur town, 125 km from Chandigarh.

A major tragedy was averted as the train derailed before a bridge of Sutlej river.

"11078 (Jhelum exp) derailed on approach to river Sutlej bridge Philore- Ladowal sec NR/ FZR div, No casualty and only 2 minor injuries," the ministry tweeted.

"Derailed coaches B5,S1,PC,S2, S3,S4,S5,S6,S7 and S8. Injured send to Civil hospital Ludhiana, three buses reached site," the ministry added.

The derailment took place between Phillaur and Ludhiana. The train had 24 coaches.

The train plies between Jammu Tawi and Pune stations.

Rail traffic between the Ludhiana-Jalandhar section was affected as both tracks were blocked due to the derailment, a railway spokesman said.

"All passengers are safe. There is no casualty," the spokesman said.

"Some trains have been cancelled and diverted. The Northern Railways will provide a list of the affected trains. The accident took place in the area of Ferozepur division of Northern Railways," the spokesman said.

Rescue and relief teams reached the accident site after some time.

Passengers of the derailed train rescued the three injured passengers, including a woman and a child. One person was seriously injured.

The remaining passengers were transported to Ludhiana to enable them to board other trains to their respective destinations.

Railway authorities also started work to repair the damaged railway track and remove the derailed coaches to restore traffic on the section.

The track links all important cities in north India, including Jalandhar, Amritsar and Jammu, with New Delhi.