More than 200 people have been killed and some 900 injured in a train crash in the northeastern Indian state of Odisha.

According to foreign news outlets including AFP and the Associated Press, two passenger trains collided in the city of Balasore at around 7 p.m. Friday local time.

A spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Railways, told reporters that ten to 12 coaches of one of the trains first derailed and crossed over to the opposite track before being hit by a train coming from the opposite direction.  

Local authorities estimate at least 233 people have died and over 900 are injured but the death toll is expected to rise as hundreds of people are still trapped inside the trains.

The South Korean embassy in India said that as of Saturday morning, no foreigners including Koreans are believed to be among the casualties based on police reports.

Rail is the primary means of long-distance travel in India with some 12 million passengers using 14-thousand trains to travel around 64-thousand kilometers each day.