UP train accident: Mamata condoles loss of lives

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today condoled the loss of lives in a train accident near Khatauli in western Uttar Pradesh and said passenger safety should always be first priority of Indian Railways.

"Deaths due to accidents pain us all. Condolences to families who lost loved ones. Safety must always be No.1 priority of Indian Railways," she said in a tweet.

Fourteen coaches of high-speed Utkal Express jumped the rails, with one of them crashing into a house adjacent to the track near Khatauli this evening, claiming at least 23 lives and leaving a large number of passengers injured.

The accident occurred around 5.45 pm near Khatauli town in Muzaffarnagar district.

Railway ministry officials in Delhi, however, put the number of dead at 12. The train was coming from Puri in Odisha and going to Haridwar in Uttarakhand, normally a journey of about 36 hours.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)