Kanpur: At least 45 people were killed when 14 coaches of the Patna-Indore Express derailed at Kanpur in India early on Sunday, officials said.

The accident occurred shortly after 3:00am near Pukhraya station in Kanpur, senior police officer Daljeet Chowdhary said.

Officials fear that the toll could further go up.

Northern Central Railways spokesperson Vijay Kumar said that doctors and senior railway officials reached the spot soon after the accident and rescue operations were underway. The cause of the accident was not known immediately.

Kumar said that most of the casualties are reported from the S2 coach, which is severely damaged. Buses have been called in to help passengers complete their journey, he said.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu who was monitoring the situation closely.

‘Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families’, tweets Modi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted that he had asked neighbouring district officials to pool in resources for quicker relief operations.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the National Disaster Response Force has been also been sent in.