The victims were standing on the railroad tracks watching celebrations for Dusshera, a Hindu festival marking the triumph of good over evil. People did not hear the train approach as they watched a firecracker-filled effigy of the demon king Ravana burn.

Children are said to be amongst the dead.

India is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are unmanned and particularly accident prone, with motorists often ignoring oncoming train warnings.

Nearly 15,000 people die on the country's railways every year, according to a 2012 government report.