HYDERABAD (India), Jan 3: At least 18 people were killed and more than 40 injured in western India on Friday when a passenger train rammed into a stationary goods train.

Authorities blamed the crash on human error.

Three coaches of the Secunderabad-Manmad Express, on its way from southern Andhra Pradesh state to western Maharashtra state, derailed when the express ran into the rear of the goods train at Ghatnandur station, in Maharashtra.

“It’s a total failure, the staff has failed. Whatever has happened is due to human failure,” Railways Minister Nitish Kumar told the private Zee News television channel.

Officials said 11 of the 41 injured were seriously hurt.

A spokesman for the state-owned railway said the crash occurred about 330kms north of Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

A preliminary investigation showed the passenger train hit the goods train because it was on a main track instead of using a loop line, he said.

It was the fourth fatal train crash in India in four months.

Last month, 18 people were killed and 80 injured when a passenger express train veered off the rails in Andhra Pradesh.

In November, one person was killed and 10 were injured when two trains collided in eastern Bihar state. And in September, 126 people were killed when a luxury train jumped the tracks in Bihar.—Reuters