Train derails, killing at least 20

  • 20/08/2017
Trains rail
At least five carriages derailed. Photo credit: Getty

A train has derailed in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 100 as carriages slammed into each other, the local chief medical officer says.

TV channel CNN News18 put the death toll at 20 in the crash on Saturday close to Muzaffarnagar, about 130km north of the capital New Delhi.

Railways spokesman Anil Saxena said he could not confirm the number of casualties but said at least five carriages derailed.

Television footage showed several mangled carriages piled up on each other while people looked for the injured in a crowd of people as night fell.

The national authorities have sent disaster teams to help.

"We have mobilised all our resources to provide the best relief and rescue operations at this time," Mr Saxena told TV channels.

"We are struggling to pull out injured, and are waiting for gas cutters to arrive. It's too dark to launch a full fledged search operation, but our teams are trying their best," said Ajay Pandey, a senior police officer at the site.

Reuters