At least 261 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in a major accident Friday evening involving three trains in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, officials said on Saturday.

The accident occurred around 7:20 pm local time near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 171 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.

According to officials, the Coromandel Express, which runs from Kolkata to Chennai, hit the Yashwantpur-Howrah Express, which derailed and toppled onto the adjacent track. A cargo train was also said to be involved in the accident.

Officials said the impact of the collision was so severe that compartments of the two trains climbed atop each other causing deaths and injuries to passengers. A large number of passengers were trapped inside the derailed coaches.

Immediately after the accident, rescue teams, health officials, police, fire services and disaster response force personnel were rushed to the spot. A large crowd of locals also reached the spot to help the injured.

All the health facilities in the vicinity were put on alert and the injured were admitted to the hospital throughout the night.

The rescuers have pressed in machinery besides specialized tools like cutters to pull out survivors from the mangled coaches.