NEW DELHI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were killed and over 50 others injured Saturday after a passenger train derailed in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, local media reports said.
Reports said eight coaches derailed from the railway track in Muzaffarnagar, around 100 km from New Delhi, India's national capital.
A derailed coach has hit a nearby house.
"At least 20 people have lost their lives and when Utkal Express, which runs on the Puri-Haridwar-Kalinga route, derailed on Saturday evening in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar," News 18 television reported.
Officials said they were not in a position to confirm the number of deaths.
A lawmaker from Muzaffarnagar, Sanjeev Balyan, who reached the spot, told media he saw few bodies.
"I have seen few dead bodies," Balyan told media. "Many people are injured and trapped inside. I can't say the exact number of injured or dead."
Authorities have rushed police and disaster response force personnel to the spot to carry out rescue work.
The rescuers were seen using gas cutters to cut the steel and help people trapped inside the coaches. A crane have also been brought to the spot to lift the derailed coaches.
"There is chaos and confusion and locals and police are carrying out rescue work," said Anand Kumar, a senior police official. "Many people are injured but at this point of time we don't have figures about injured or dead in the accident."
The train Utkal Express derailed in Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli area at around 5:50 p.m. local time. A huge rush of people have gathered at the accident site.
There are fears some passengers are caught inside mangled coaches and death toll is likely to increase.
Authorities said the cause of accident was not immediately known. Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu said he has ordered an inquiry into the accident.
"I am personally monitoring situation. Have instructed senior officers to reach site immediately and ensure speedy rescue and relief operations," Prabu said.
Following the derailment, locals rushed to the spot to help people trapped in the derailed coaches.
"The injured were taken to local medical facility and nearest hospitals," Rupesh Kumar, a local, said.
Reports said the derailment is likely to affect train movements on the route.
In January this year 39 people were killed and over 50 injured in train derailment in southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian government in 2015 announced an investment of over 137 billion U.S. dollars over a period of five years to boost railways and modernise it on new lines.
Indian sprawling railways is the world's third largest network, ferrying around 23 million people each day.
