Seven die as trains collide in India

Seven people have died and dozens have been injured when a passenger train travelling through southern India collided with another train halted at a signal.

Shalendra Babu, a senior police official, said three train cars derailed in the accident, about 50 miles south-west of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state.

Rescuers have taken at least 80 injured passengers to nearby hospitals.

Local lawmaker Abdul Rehman said authorities fear that as many as 15 people might be dead.

Heavy rain was hampering the rescue efforts.

India’s railway network is one of the largest in the world and carries about 14 million passengers each day. Accidents are common, with most blamed on poor maintenance and human error.