India: Train crash, 96+ killed, 100+ injured.

India: Train crash, 96+ killed, 100+ injured.

NEW DELHI: At least 96 people were killed and over 100 injured when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Pukhrayan in Kanpur Dehat district today.

Photo source: CNBC.com

At least 96 people have been killed after 14 carriages of an Indian express train derailed in northern Uttar Pradesh state, police say.

The incident took place on the Indore-Patna Express just after 03:00 local time on Sunday (21:30 GMT Saturday) near the city of Kanpur.

Rescuers cut their way through the twisted carriages to retrieve bodies and rescue the injured.

More than 150 people have been reported injured.

TV footage showed badly mangled blue carriages, with crowds of people and police on top of the wreckage searching for survivors. One carriage was almost lying on its side, and appeared to have been completely torn apart.

Rescue officials with yellow helmets were working their way through the crowds, carrying victims from the mangled wreckage as teams struggled to remove the derailed wagons from the tracks, one of the main transportation routes for goods and passengers in northern India.

"Still many more passengers are trapped," Anil Saxena, a senior railway official in New Delhi told Reuters.

The packed train, operated by the Indian government, derailed in the early hours of Sunday when more than 500 passengers were sleeping, survivors said.

"Suddenly I could feel that the carriage was overturning. I immediately held the metal rod near the bathroom door," said Faizal Khan who was traveling with his wife and two children, all of whom survived the accident.

Two senior police officials in Kanpur said their teams have been able to pull out 60 bodies from the badly damaged carriages.

"Our aim is to rush all the injured to the hospital in the next two hours and we are seeking help from private hospitals," said additional director general Daljeet Singh Choudhary.

Buses are being pressed into service to help passengers complete their journey, Singh said.

The death count is likely to rise as rescuers look through the wreckage, according to witnesses and officials.

"I can see bodies lying near the tracks, everyone is in a state of shock. There is no water or food for us," said Rajdeep Tanwar, a survivor.

Suresh Prabhu, India's Railways Minister, said in a tweet the government would immediately investigate the causes of the derailment and promised accountability with the "strictest possible action."

Prabhu said the government would offer 350,000 rupees ($5,133.43) to families of the dead, as well as 50,000 rupees in case of grievous injury and 25,000 in case of simple injury.

Rescue operations are under way since early morning and the death toll is expected to rise, railways officials said. Though the cause of the derailment is not known as of now, sources said the nature and timing shows that the accident was caused by a rail fracture. However, the exact reason would be known only after an inquiry.