New Delhi  - At least 15 people were killed and 42 wounded when a passenger train derailed in India's eastern state of Orissa on Friday, officials said.

Fourteen coaches of the Coromandel Express overturned in the Jajpur area, situated some 120 kilometres north of the state capital of Bhubaneshwar on Friday evening.

"Fifteen bodies were brought to the local state-run hospital," Indian Railways spokesman JP Mishra said. "At least 42 injured are receiving first-aid and treatment at the hospital," he added.

Railway officials said the death toll could rise, as some of the wounded were in a serious condition.

Meanwhile, several passengers of the super-fast train were believed to be trapped under the coaches.

"Railway and police teams have reached the scene and rescue operations are underway. Our priority is to save people who are still trapped," Mishra added.

One of the passengers who escaped unhurt told PTI news agency that the impact of the derailment was severe as the train was running at a very high speed.

The train, which originated in the eastern state of West Bengal, was on its way to the southern state of Tamil Nadu when the accident occurred.

The accident occurred on the same day that India's railway budget was presented and railway officials claimed that the accidents had come down to 194 from 325 a year in the past five years.

The accident may have occurred due to poor track maintenance, news channels reported. Later on Friday night, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad ordered a probe into the accident.

Indian Railways runs one of the largest rail networks in the world. Its 8,500 trains carry 13 million passengers over 3,000 kilometres of railway across the country every day. (dpa)