The dramatic accident happened on the stretch between Calcutta and Chennai in eastern India. A number of carriages of a passenger train derailed after a collision with a freight train. The carriages would have ended up on a different track. Another train would then have collided with those carriages and was itself partly derailed.
People are still trapped and a major rescue operation has been launched. Dozens of ambulances have been sent to the scene of the accident, as have rescue teams from several cities. Many of the injured have been taken to hospitals for treatment. Some Indian media reports that the death toll is above fifty.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on Twitter that his thoughts go out to the families involved. According to him, “all possible help” is being given to the victims. The government will pay money to the injured and next of kin.