Kalka - Two women passengers have been confirmed dead after a specially-chartered train carrying 37 British tourists to India derailed in the north of the country.
As many as 12 people are also reported to have been injured. The train, put on specifically for the tourist group, was travelling to the Himalayan town of Shimla
According to reports from the scene, the narrow gauge train - a type used commonly in mountainous regions - came off the tracks near Kalka in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, with the cause of the accident as yet unknown.
Dinesh Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager at Northern Railways told the Media: 'The accident occurred when the train was about 3.5km away from Kalka.
'The accident site falls in [the state of] Himachal Pradesh.
'Preliminary reports received from the site said that two persons have died in the accident.'
The four-carriage train had been booked through a travel agent.
York-based travel company Great Rail journeys confirmed that one of its tour groups had been involved in the incident, but said that ‘very little’ was known.
A number of people in the group have been hospitalised,’ it said in a statement, adding that its representatives were at the scene.
The company, which takes around 2,500 people to India annually, said it was sending three senior members of its team to the scene, along with a qualified counsellor.
The tour had left for the country on September 10 and was due to end on September 22.
It was rounding a curve when the coaches derailed, said Neeraj Sharma, a railway official.
Mr Kumar added: 'One full coach derailed while another derailed partially. A railway team has already reached the site.