NEW DELHI : The death toll from the collision of two passenger trains in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has risen to 288 with 803 others reportedly injured on Saturday, officials said.

The Times of India quoted railway officials as saying that there are 288 victims recorded in the horrific collision, the country's deadliest rail accident in more than 20 years. Injured passengers have been taken to hospitals in Gopalpur, Khantapara, Balasore, Bhadrak and Soro.

The accident took place on Friday evening near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 171 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha state.

According to officials, the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, hit the derailed bogies of a few coaches of Yashwantpur-Howrah Express which crashed and fell on the opposite track. A freight train was also said to be involved in the accident.

The collision has disrupted train movements on the affected routes. Media reports said 48 trains have been so far cancelled, 39 diverted and 10 short-terminated due to the accident.  Officials said the impact of the collision was so severe that compartments of the two passenger trains climbed atop each other causing deaths and injuries. A large number of passengers were also trapped inside the mangled coaches.