At least eight people were killed and about a dozen more were injured in a collision between a local passenger train and a freight train in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, according to officials.

The collision occurred near Bilaspur, approximately 116 kilometers (72 miles) from the state capital of Raipur.

"A total of eight people have lost their lives in this accident. Two people are still stuck here. 16-to-17 people are in a serious condition. This is a big accident," district official Sanjay Agarwal told the ANI news agency.

What do we know about the accident?

Chhattisgarh's Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said that the freight train was stopped when the accident occurred and that the passenger train crashed into it from behind, damaging the first few passenger train cars.

Agarwal, the district official, said that one of the train cars ended up on top of a goods train car, and the rescue operation is underway.

A "rescue team is trying to cut through the train to take out at least two passengers trapped inside," he said. "We hope they will be alive but can't confirm until we get them out."

What did the Indian Railways say?

Indian Railways announced that it has deployed all available resources for the rescue effort. The company also stated that an investigation into the cause of the accident has begun.

According to the ANI news agency, the railway administration announced compensation payments of 10 lakh rupees ($11300; €9800) to the family of the deceased, 5 lakh rupees to those grievously injured, and 1 lakh rupees to those with minor injuries.

India's extensive rail network, the fourth largest in the world, is plagued by issues of aging infrastructure and human error, which often result in train collisions.

One of the country's worst rail accidents occurred in 2023 when three trains collided in the southern state of Odisha, killing 288 people.

Edited by: Zac Crellin