A train came off the rails in northwest Turkey on Sunday after heavy rain and a landslide on to the tracks, and several people were killed and injured, officials said.

"A suburban train had an accident ... due to a landfall. Unfortunately we have fatalities and casualties," a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The local governor in Tekirdag, about 120 km (75 miles) west of Istanbul, blamed heavy rain for the derailment.

"Our helicopter ambulances have reached the site. Many of those injured have been taken off the site," Mehmet Ceylan said.

The train was carrying more than 300 passengers and was headed to Istanbul when five carriages came off the tracks, state news agency Anadolu reported.

President Tayyip Erdogan's office said he had received information from the ministers of transport and interior about the incident, and sent condolences for those killed.

Television images showed emergency personnel walking to reach the crash site. Private news channel CNN Turk said the accident was caused by a collapsed bridge.

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