LUCKNOW, July 28: At least nine people were killed and up to 40 injured in an explosion on a long-distance passenger train in northern India on Thursday, a senior police officer said. The blast took place around 5:30pm on the Shramjeevi Express near Jaunpur, 190km east of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh state, state police chief Yashpal Singh told AFP.

He said eight to 10 of those injured were in very serious condition. “It seems like a big blast which needs a proper investigation,” Singh said, adding that forensic and bomb disposal teams had been sent to the site more than 600km from national capital New Delhi.

“I have ordered the railways to separate the concerned coach before the train moves ahead. It is difficult now to say how it happened. The teams are investigating the cause. Security has been beefed up in nearby towns.” Shramjeevi Express is a daily train which runs between eastern city of Patna in Bihar state and New Delhi, a distance of over 800 kilometres. A railway ministry statement said the blast took place near the toilet of a general category coach.