Twenty-one killed in Indian train crash

A Delhi-bound Indian express train ploughed into the back of another near the Taj Mahal town of Agra early yesterday, killing up to 21 and injuring more than 20, police said.

Local police said 21 had died while railway officials put the toll at 13 from the early morning crash on tracks outside the town of Mathura, 50 kilometres north of Agra in northern India.

Rescuers, working with mechanical cutters amid a huge crowd of onlookers, battled to free people trapped in a badly mangled carriage that bore the brunt of the collision.

The engine of one train had rammed inside the last carriage of a train in front, reserved for the disabled and luggage. Bloodied bodies and people were pulled from the wreckage before being ferried to local hospitals.

"The number of dead from today's accident is 21," a spokesman for local police superintendent B.D. Polson said, adding that 20 were injured in the crash at 5.30 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) that involved two express trains.

Local railway manager Rajendra Dutt Tripathi said 13 were dead and 22 injured.

A train from the southern state of Goa heading to New Delhi had run into the back of the stationary Mewar Express, an overnight service linking the state of Rajasthan with the capital, he explained.

Mr Tripathi said initial reports suggested the Mewar Express was at standstill because a passenger had pulled the emergency chain and the driver of the Goa express had overlooked a signal requesting him to stop.

"These are a matter of investigation and a final conclusion can only be reached after a detailed inquiry," he said.