Hundreds more were injured in the crash, which Indian news reports said occurred after at least 10 train cars derailed.
Two trains derailed in India in the eastern state of Odisha on Friday, Indian news reports said, killing as many as 50 people and injuring hundreds more in an accident that deeply shook the country.
Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson, was quoted by The Times of India as saying that 10 to 12 coaches of one train derailed and that some of the debris then encroached on a nearby track, where it was hit by another train.
Indian news reports described harrowing scenes as teams of rescue workers with dogs and cutting equipment labored frantically to free survivors and the injured who were trapped in the train wreckage.
Video footage of the scene of the crash showed stunned onlookers, and Indian news reports said more than 50 ambulances had arrived to the area, along with teams of doctors to tend to the injured. The number of dead was not confirmed, but the reports said it was feared to be at least 50 people.
