74 injured after 10 coaches of train derail in North India

At least 74 people were injured after a passenger train derailed early Wednesday in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, China's Xinhua news agency reported officials as saying.

According to officials, 10 coaches of Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express derailed in Auraiya district, about 180 km from Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. So far no causality has been reported in the accident.

"In the accident 74 people have been injured and they have been admitted to nearby hospitals," senior local government official Arvind Kumar told the media.

The train coming from Azamgarh district was derailed following a collision with a truck at around 2.50 am local time (2120 GMT).

Authorities have initiated relief and rescue operations.

Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu said the he was personally monitoring the situation.

About 40 trains have been diverted and seven cancelled as train traffic on Delhi-Howrah route has been disrupted following the accident.

The incident comes three days after the deadly train accident in Muzaffarnagar district of the state.

At least 23 people were killed and over 150 others injured, some of them critically, after 14 coaches of the train derailed, falling upon one another.

Following the deadly accident the Indian Railway Ministry suspended four officials and sent on leave three of its top officials.

In January, 39 people were killed and over 50 injured in train derailment in southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Last year a train accident in Uttar Pradesh killed 145 and injured around 200.

The Indian government announced an investment of US$137 billion in 2015 over next five years to boost railways and modernise it on new lines.

India's sprawling railways is the world's third largest network, ferrying around 23 million people each day.

-- BERNAMA