Three die as train derails near Bengaluru (Second Lead, changing dateline)

Three passengers were feared dead and 25 injured when eight coaches of the Bengaluru-Erankulam inter-city express derailed on the city's outskirts early Friday, an official said.

"The incident occurred at 7.35 a.m. when the engine and eight bogies of the express train jumped the track and derailed after it left Anekal station (near Bengaluru) towards Hosur (in Tamil Nadu) on the inter-state border," a railway official told IANS here.

The train departed from the main city station at 6.15 a.m. and covered 35 km when the mishap took place between the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border on the Bengaluru-Salem section between Anekal road and Hosur town.

"Rescue and relief teams have rushed to the spot along with senior officials to shift the injured to private and state-run hospitals at Anekal and Hosur, as dozen of them are reported to be in serious condition," the official noted.

Railway officials did not know the cause of the derailment even two hours after the mishap, as their priority was to rescue the injured and provide relief to the stranded passengers.

"An expert team has rushed to the spot to find out what caused the derailment as two bogies telescoped into each other on impact," the official added.

The South Western Railway (SWR) has set up help desks at the city station and the mishap spot to assist the injured and the stranded passengers.