India's railway authorities say a collision between two passenger trains in eastern India on Friday has killed at least 261 people.

Local officials say one of the trains derailed before being struck by another train coming from the opposite direction at around 7 p.m. local time.

Railway authorities say about 900 people are believed to have been injured and are being treated in nearby hospitals.

An aerial photograph of the crash scene shows overturned carriages lying across multiple tracks running parallel to one another.

The rail officials say the train that derailed first was heading to the southern city of Chennai from Shalimar in the eastern state of West Bengal.

It is unknown how many people were on board.

The other train was heading north from Bengaluru to Howrah in West Bengal, carrying about 1,000 passengers.

Media reports say the southbound train struck a stationary freight train before derailing. Local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.