At least 63 people were killed early Sunday when a Patna-Indore Express train derailed near India’s northern city of Kanpur, according to Zaki Ahmed, Inspector General with the Kanpur police, speaking to CNN affiliate CNN News 18.
Railways Ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said the number of casualties may rise. Over 150 passengers have been injured, according to CNN News 18. Kanpur, located in Uttar Pradesh state, is nearly 300 miles southeast of New Delhi, the nation’s capital.
Roughly 60 to 70 passengers could still be trapped in mangled rail cars, Javeed Ahmed, director general of police for Uttar Pradesh, told the news station.
“We’ve taken out 30 plus dead bodies so far,” said Ahmed. “There are still people trapped in some
coaches.”
The crash
Fourteen cars in a 24-car train derailed around 3 a.m.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash or how many people were traveling on the train, Ahmed said.
India’s President Narendra Modi tweeted, “Anguished beyond words at the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.”
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Twitter that senior officers were immediately deployed to the accident site.
Prabhu also said the National Disaster Response Force has been activated and is headed to the scene.