Volunteers and fire fighters look for survivors amidst damaged compartments of Sabarmati Express |
Railway officials say they fear the death toll could go higher as rescue teams try to reach people trapped in several derailed coaches of the passenger train, the Sabarmati Express.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the accident happened early Thursday at a station in the village of Samlaya, about 30 kilometers from the industrial city of Baroda.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known.
The express train was traveling from the northern holy city of Varanasi to Gujarat's commercial capital, Ahmedabad.
India's railway system, which operates nearly 12,000 trains and carries more than 13 million passengers every day, is plagued by frequent accidents because of antiquated equipment and poor safety standards.
Some information for this report provided by AP.