India train crash leaves 14 dead

Fourteen people were killed when a passenger train rammed into a truck at an unmanned railway crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Twenty-five others were hurt in the incident, which happened in Gonda area on Sunday afternoon, officials say.

The railways have ordered a probe into the incident.

Correspondents say there are often collisions between vehicles and trains at India's many unmanned railway crossings.

Reports said that the overcrowded passenger train which was heading to the city of Ayodhya collided with a truck carrying sand near the village of Rasoolpur.

Eleven train passengers, most of whom where travelling on the roof, died on the spot, while three others died of injuries at a hospital.

Last month, two passenger trains collided near the city of Mathura in northern India, killing at least 22 people.

One of the trains, the Mewar Express, was stopped at a red signal when the Goa Express rammed into it from behind.

The state-owned Indian Railways form an immense network connecting every corner of the vast country.

It operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries 18 million passengers every day.

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