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At least seven people were killed when seven coaches of a New Delhi-bound train derailed early Sunday in eastern India, an official said.
District Magistrate Rajeev Roshan said another 10 people were injured in the accident in Bihar state, reports AP.
The cause of the accident is being investigated. The Press Trust of India news agency said a rail fracture appeared to have caused the derailment about 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Patna, the Bihar state capital.
Rescue workers and members of India’s disaster management force were working to pull out people trapped in the twisted metal and overturned coaches. Three of the derailed coaches had been cleared of passengers, said Bihar State Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi.
India’s vast railway system is the world’s third largest but lacks modern signalling and communication systems. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance, outdated equipment and human error.
In 2016, 127 people were killed as 14 coaches of a train derailed in one the worst accidents in Uttar Pradesh state.