15 die as train collides with taxi in India

Fifteen people were killed when a train collided with an overcrowded taxi at an unmanned railroad crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Police spokesman Surendra Srivastava said the taxi driver is suspected of ignoring a signal that the train was approaching and then crossing the rail tracks.

The taxi was carrying 19 people when the train slammed into its rear this morning and threw it off the track near Hathras, about 200 miles south west of the state capital of Lucknow.

The driver and 14 passengers were killed on the spot. Four are being treated at a hospital for injuries.

The taxi passengers had been returning to their village after a funeral.