A Devlali-Bhusawal passenger train was reversed for about a kilometre in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district on Thursday to rescue a passenger who had fallen off, a railway official said.

The incident took place around 9.30 am between Pardhande and Maheji railway stations near Jalgaon, about 425 km from Mumbai.

Rahul Patil, a passenger, fell off the train as it approached Maheji station, the official said, adding that Patil’s friends immediately pulled the alarm chain.

Train guard R B Paradhe and loco pilot A K Pandy then reversed the train for about a kilometre to pick up the injured man.

Patil was handed over to Government Railway Police in Jalgaon and was admitted to a private hospital, he added.

Divisional railway manager of Central Railway’s Bhusawal division, Vivek Gupta, lauded the train crew’s quick decision which probably saved the passenger’s life. It was safe to reverse a train, he said.

The crew would be felicitated for their action, a railway spokesperson said. The train was, however, delayed by over an hour because of the incident.