At least 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a multiple train collision in India's eastern Odisha state, local officials say

At least 50 people were killed and hundreds injured when multiple trains derailed and crashed in eastern India on Friday, officials and local media said.

The accident happened in Balasore, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Odisha's state capital, Bhubaneswar.

According to report, the accident happened around 7:20 p.m. local time (13:50 GMT) near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore.

Nearly 50 ambulances were sent to the scene in the Balasore district, the state's chief secretary said adding that two passenger trains and a goods train were involved.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi toys the BBC news agency that he was distressed by Friday evening's incident, and his thoughts were with the bereaved families.

Press Trust of India (PTI) cited officials as saying that three trains were involved in the crash.

PTI reported that the first to derail was the Bengaluru to Howrah train, which is known as the Howrah Superfast Express. Some of its carriages fell onto adjacent tracks.

Those derailed coaches collided with the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai.

As it derailed, the Coromandel Express then hit a freight train, officials told PTI.

"About 50 people have died and over 500 injured," Odisha state chief secretary Pradeep Jena told Agence France-Presse. "Our top priority now is rescuing [the passengers] and providing health support to the injured."

News channel NDTV reported that 179 people were taken to hospitals.

The Hindustan Times cited officials as saying that another 600 to 700 people are still trapped.

Television images showed rescue teams trying to reach the survivors trapped inside mangled carriages.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that rescue operations were underway at the site and "all possible assistance" is being given to those affected.

Some surviving passengers were seen rushing in to help rescue those trapped in the wreckage.

Rescue efforts were planned to continue into the night.

Rail accidents are relatively common in India - occurring several hundreds times a year, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said he was rushing to the accident site, while Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is expected to get there Saturday morning.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.

In November 2016, more than 100 people were killed when 14 coaches of a passenger train rolled off the track in northern India.

In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.

Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.

More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 40,000 miles of track.