India train crash: At least 207 dead, 900 injured after collision, say reports

At least 207 people were killed and 900 injured when two passenger trains collided in Odisha on Friday, according to government officials in the eastern Indian state, in one of India’s worst rail incidents in years.

Rescue operations were under way at the site and “all possible assistance” is being given to those affected, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet on Friday.

The collision is a “grave accident”, H K Dwivedi, West Bengal's chief secretary told reporters. South Eastern Railway officials, who did not want to be named, said they fear heavy casualties, without disclosing the number of deaths.

The Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, derailed and fell on the opposite track, with many people still trapped, the reports said.

“I can’t comment on the details right now and casualty figures. I was in Delhi and rushing to the accident site,” said Archana Joshi, general manager for South Eastern Railways.

Joshi said a large number of injured were being shifted to hospitals. “Railway rescue teams from Kharagpur and other nearby stations have already reached the site. Relief and rescue are under way.” - Reuters