This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Seven passengers are reported to have been killed and several others injured when a Delhi-bound train derailed in India’s eastern state of Bihar, railways officials have said.

Eleven coaches of the Seemanchal Express left the rails near Sahadai Buzurg railway station, about 50 km (30 miles) from the state capital, Patna, early in the morning, the railways ministry said.

Sixty people were killed last year when a commuter train travelling at a high speed ran through a crowd of people on the rail tracks in northern India.

India’s state railways, largely built during British colonial rule, have an appalling safety record after decades of underinvestment in infrastructure. The apparent priority has been to keep fares low for the 23 million passengers who use the network daily.