Over 260 people have died while close to a thousand were injured after two passenger trains and a freight train collided in a three-way accident in the eastern state of Odisha, India on Friday.

According to the New York Times, the exact cause for the accident remained unclear as of Saturday afternoon but at least 17 cars of the two passenger trains derailed. More than 2,200 were estimated to be on both passenger trains.

After a preliminary report by the government of the Asian country on Friday night, more than 261 people were estimated to have been killed as a result of the crash while more than 900 others suffered various degrees of injuries.

“It was a devastating scene, because the train was at high speed, full speed,” said Sudhanshu Sarangi, the chief of Odisha’s fire service, who had arrived at the scene. “The goods train was stationary; the other two trains were running.”

India has had a history of train accidents in recent years with trains always overcrowded and people hanging outside coaches to reach their destinations – but yesterday’s incident is the worst train crash in India in the last two decades.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who was present at the site of the crash to assess the damage alongside other members of his cabinet, sympathised with the bereaved families while assuring that rescue efforts were underway.

“Distressed by the train accident in Odisha. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw and took stock of the situation. Rescue ops are underway at the site of the mishap and all possible assistance is being given to those affected,” Mr Modi tweeted.