Death toll rises to 18 in Indian train derailment

At least 18 people were killed and more than 60 others injured after a passenger train derailed in western Indian state of Maharashtra on Sunday, state Home Minister RR Patil said.

The incident occurred in a tunnel near Nidi village, when the engine of the Diwa-Sawantwadi passenger train and four coaches jumped off the tracks at around 10 a.m. local time, police said.

"Eighteen lives have been lost in the tragedy," Patil told the media after visiting the accident site.

He said the derailment may have been caused by technical problems. "We are giving all possible help to the victims' families and providing medical attention to the injured."

The railway ministry announced compensation to the families of the deceased, and the injured people.

The injured were rushed to hospitals in Nagothane and Roha in Raigad district.

Central Railway officials said relief and rescue trains were sent to the accident site from Thane and Mumbai. Work was underway to remove the derailed cars and engine to clear the tracks.

Passengers and goods traffic on the Konkan Railway network has been paralyzed, an official spokesperson said in Mumbai.

The incident came just days after a bomb blast in the Chennai railway station last week.

In a similar incident, eight coaches of a passenger train derailed near Ambedkar Nagar in northern state of Uttar Pradesh on April 28.