At least 20 lost their lives after a passenger train derailed and hit another train carrying stationary goods in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, officials say.
Six coaches of the train went off the rails and ploughed into the freight train at Chureb railway station on Monday morning.
Rescuers are searching through the mangled coaches, with reports saying a number of people are trapped.
The train was travelling from Gorakhpur town to Hisar in Haryana state.
“A medical train with doctors and paramedics has reached the site of the crash,” railway spokesman in Delhi Anil Saxena told the BBC. “We’ve also sent machines to cut the coaches to reach the passengers who are still trapped.”
“My condolences to families of those who lost their lives in the Gorakhdham express tragedy. Prayers with the injured, Narendra Modi, who takes over as India’s prime minister later on Monday, tweeted.
“Spoke to the Cabinet Secretary. Asked him to take an overview of the situation and ensure timely assistance to those injured,” he added.
There have been numerous train accidents in recent years, killing hundreds of people.
India’s railway network operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 18 million passengers every day.
* May 22, 2012: Twenty-five people were killed when the Banglore-bound Hampi Express collided with a stationary goods train in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district.
* June 30, 2012: Thirty-five passengers were killed and 25 were injured when a coach of the Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express caught fire near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.