Sabotage fears in Indian train crash

Most of the casualties occurred in the first four carriages of the train

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Officials fear sabotage may have been behind an express train derailment in northern India, which killed 12 people and injured at least 70.

Thirteen of the 24 railcars of the Shramjeevi Express derailed around 3:40 a.m. (10:10 p.m. Saturday GMT) between Lucknow and Jaunpur, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of New Delhi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, railways spokesman Davinder Sandhu said.

The popular train was bound for Patna, the capital of eastern Bihar state.

"Preliminary investigations point to the possibility of sabotage," Sandhu told Associated Press.

Sandhu said metal pieces used to join the tracks were found near the scene and appeared to have been removed.

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He would not say whether there were any suspects.

The accident occurred at night while many of the passengers were sleeping.

Most of the casualties were in the first four cars, which overturned, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

One of the two engines also jumped the tracks, Sandhu said.

When asked how many people were on board the train, Sandhu said, "It was jam-packed."

The large train can carry up to 1,800 people, he said.

Indian Railways, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is the "lifeline of the country," Sandhu said.

The network carries 12 million passengers every day and one million tonnes on routes which stretch 63,000 kilometers (39,146 miles).

India's massive rail network is hit by an average of 300 accidents a year, but despite a number of high profile crashes rail officials say safety is steadily improving with the accident rate falling to 0.57 per million kilometers traveled in 1996-97 -- down from 5.5 at the start of the 1960s.