At least 50 people were killed early Sunday morning when a Patna-Indore Express train derailed near India’s northern city of Kanpur, Additional Director General of Police DS Chaudhary told CNN-affiliate CNN 18.
Railways Ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said the number of casualties may rise.
Passengers remain trapped in rail cars, Zaki Ahmed, Inspector General of Kanpur, told Indian news agency ANI.
“We’ve taken out 30 plus dead bodies so far,” said Ahmed. “There are still people trapped in some coaches.”
Fourteen cars derailed around 3 a.m. near Pukhrayan, about 60 miles from Kanpur, CNN 18 reported.
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.