Scores dead as two trains derail in India

At least 27 people died after two passenger trains in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh derailed minutes apart on a partially flooded bridge.

The trains were passing each other near the town of Harda, and some coaches fell into a river. Reportedly, heavy rain caused river levels to rise, submerging the track.

The Kamayani Express derailed around midnight local time on Tuesday near the Kudawa railway station, about 20km from the town of Harda.

A second train, the Janata Express, travelling in the opposite direction from Patna to Mumbai, also derailed on the same bridge minutes later.

Police have recovered 27 bodies so far, but many more are feared dead. At least 300 people had been rescued but witnesses were giving accounts "that many people may have been washed away".

One passenger described water pouring through the carriages just after the accident.

"Water filled the coach till here," the man, pointing to his waist, told a local TV station.

Another passenger said there had been "a sudden jerk" and "the carriage broke apart and people were crushed".