100 feared dead in Indian rail tragedy

Fourteen of the 18 cars on the New Delhi-bound train derailed.

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- As many as 100 people are feared dead after a passenger train derailed in a remote region of northeastern India, sending a carriage plunging into a river, rail authorities have said.

Twenty-five bodies have been recovered so far.

In all, 14 of the 18 cars on the Kolkata-to-New Delhi express train derailed at 10:40 p.m. local time (1710 GMT) as it was crossing the Dhawa River, near Gaya in the eastern state of Bihar.

The accident sent a car containing 64 people plunging into a river, and left three other cars hanging precariously above the water.

More than eight hours after the derailment, rescue workers were scouring the river for survivors and attempting to remove passengers trapped in cars still dangling from the tracks.

Many have fallen out, said Anil Saxena, a spokesman for the railway.

MORE STORIES • Focus: India's overcrowded rail network  • Timeline: India's worst rail accidents    AUDIO CNN's Suhasini Haidar reports that dozens of passengers are still trapped in carriages dangling from the bridge 1.51 MB / 2 mins 24 secs WAV sound

Authorities said 125 people were rescued from the water and the train, and at least 65 were taken to Aurangabad Civil Hospital, Saxena said.

The car that fell into the water was partially submerged in knee-deep water.

One official said he expected the death told to be high, but would not estimate a number.

Railway Minister Nitish Kumar arrived at the scene early Tuesday to coordinate recovery efforts.

Members of the Indian army have been called in to assist rescue workers and helicopters and cranes are on their way to the area.

Meanwhile officials have set up special trains to carry relatives and friends from New Delhi and Kolkata of the accident scene.

Though a junior minister of railways said he could not rule out the possibility of sabotage, an official at the site said it is more likely that monsoon rains had washed away an embankment, causing the wreck.

The worst rail accident in Indian history took place on June 6, 1981, also in Bihar state.

Then more than 800 people died when a crowded express train was blown off the tracks by a cyclone and plunged into a river.