Authorities say more than 32 people are dead and more than 22 burned after a fire broke out on a passenger train in southern India.

The fire on the long-distance service from New Delhi to Chennai apparently started in one coach during the early morning hours of Monday while most of the passengers slept.

An official at a train station noticed the fire as the train passed through. The train was stopped near the town of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh state and the coach was detached to prevent the spread of flames.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but authorities suspect it was caused by a short circuit.