At least 288 people have been killed after at least two trains were involved in an accident in eastern India.
It happened about 210km southwest of Kolkata in Balasore district of Odisha at around 7pm local time (2.30pm UK) on Friday.
It is the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than two decades.
Between 10 and 12 carriages of a train derailed and debris fell on a nearby track, according to railway ministry spokesman Amitabh Sharma.
The debris was struck by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction and up to three cars from that train also derailed.
Fire service chief Sudhanshu Sarangi told the Press Trust of India that more than 850 people were injured, many seriously.
The incident took place in Balasore district in the state of Odisha
A drone view shows the derailed cars
A third train carrying freight was also believed to be involved, but authorities have yet to confirm this.
Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena tweeted that more than 200 ambulances had been dispatched to the scene.
Video showed police moving bodies covered in white sheets off the tracks and the military were sent in to help evacuate and treat the injured.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed” and “all possible help” was being offered.
Rescuers were still trying to free hundreds of people who feared they were trapped in cars on Saturday morning, said DB Shinde, the district administrator for Balasore in Odisha state.
Speaking of IndiaSky reporter Neville Lazarus said all hospitals in Balasore were on high alert.
He said the trains involved were using “one of the main thoroughfares” on the east side of the country’s rail network.
Photo: Press Trust of India/AP
Passenger Vandana Kaleda told New Delhi television she ‘found people falling on top of each other’ as her car shook violently and veered off the rails. She said she was lucky to survive.
Another survivor, who did not give his name, said he was sleeping when the impact of the crash woke him up.
“I was woken up by the noise of the train derailing,” he says.
“Suddenly I saw 10 to 15 dead people. I managed to get out of the bus, then I saw a lot of dismembered bodies.”
Photo: Press Trust of India via AP
More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling over 40,000 miles of track.
Despite the government’s efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on Indian Railways, the largest railway network under one management in the world.
More than 350 people were killed when two trains collided near New Delhi in August 1995 – the worst rail accident in Indian history.
Most rail accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.
