70 injured in Sri Lanka train mishap

At least 70 people were injured, four critically, when two trains collided in Sri Lanka on Wednesday morning, officials said.

The accident took place when a train traveling to the country's north collided with another train that had halted at the main platform of the Pothuhera railway station near Kurunegala town, Xinhua reported.

The engines of both the trains were smashed in the crash with carriages toppling over, and one even rolled onto a nearby rice field, local reports said.

Initial photos also showed twisted metal of the carriages and injured people being taken to hospital. Arrangements have been made to transport the rest of the passengers by bus to Colombo.

"Trains along that line have been temporarily stopped. We have been informed by railway authorities that an investigation into the incident has begun," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told Xinhua.