At Least 25 Dead in India Train Blast and Collision

New Delhi, May 28 : Rescue workers are trying to free survivors from the wreckage of a train in eastern India after a blast on the line killed at least 25.

The blast hurled a passenger train into the path of a goods train speeding in the opposite direction in West Midnapore, a railway spokesman said.

The number of dead was expected to rise after the incident early on Friday.

The area is known to be a Maoist stronghold but officials say it is too early to say if rebels were to blame.

The passenger train was travelling from Mumbai to the eastern city of Kolkata, in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal state.

Railway official Manoj Kumar told Reuters: "At this stage I can confirm 25 deaths. The toll will be much higher."

A doctor quoted by AFP said there had been 30 deaths.

A local government official said the toll could go up to "anywhere around 50-60" because many passengers were trapped inside mangled coaches.

"We can give a final figure only after rescue operations are complete. We have to cut open the compartments and bring out bodies."

Another railway spokesman, Soumitra Majumdar, said: "The blast derailed 13 coaches of the Gyaneswari Express. These coaches then fell on the other track where a goods train rammed into some of them."

'Super de luxe' express

Among the 13 carriages of the "super de luxe" express were 10 sleeper coaches and an unreserved coach, sources told The Times of India.

A reporter at the scene, Naresh Jana, said: "I can see at least four passenger coaches completely mangled. I am seeing many bodies crushed under the goods train.

"People are crying. Rescuers are struggling to save the survivors and get the bodies out."

Among the emergency teams sent to the scene were 12 doctors and 20 paramedics from Kharagpur and two doctors from the Kalaikunda airbase in the district, the newspaper reported.

Maoist rebels have in recent months stepped up attacks in response to a government security push to flush them out of their jungle bases.

They have attacked police, government buildings and infrastructure such as railway stations. Earlier this month they blew up a bus in the state of Chhattisgarh, killing 35 people.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the insurgency as India's biggest internal security challenge.

Friday's crash comes days after a passenger airliner plunged to earth in southern India, killing 158 people.