Seven persons were killed and 25 others injured when a coal-laden goods train rammed into the 619 up Gomoh-Chowpan passenger train at Barwadih station in Jharkhand's Lathehar district on Wednesday.

The passenger train, heading towards Shaktinagar, was on the loop line and was slowly pulling out to the main line at the station when the goods train failed to stop and hit it in the middle, Deputy Inspector General of Police Ram Laxman Singh said.

Under the impact of the collision four bogies of the passenger train toppled while eight bogies of the goods train, which was bound for Punjab, derailed. The engine of the goods train also overturned but its driver escaped alive, railways sources said.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad told reporters at Patna that at least four persons were killed and over 12 others injured and blamed the goods train driver for the accident.

Jharkhand Inspector General of Police, Railways, A K Sinha, said the toll could rise as two bogies of the passenger train were completely covered by coal from the goods train.

Of the passengers who were killed, two have been identified as Ganga Mistry of Chippadohar and Pawan Prasad Gupta of Garwah Road in the state, the sources said. Twenty of the injured were admitted to Daltonganj hospital, the DIG (Palamu range) said adding the others have been moved to other hospitals.

Gas cutters were being used to cut open the overturned bogies to rescue those trapped inside, divisional operation manager of Dhanbad, B N Lal said. Barwadih is one of the stations where medical van and accident relief train are based, he added.