21 die when trains collide

A passenger train in northern India has crashed into another train's rear carriage reserved for women and disabled passengers, killing 21 people and injuring 17 who remained trapped for hours.

Rescuers used gas cutters to open the wrecked compartment to free trapped passengers after the collision near Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal.

The two trains were heading to New Delhi from southern India.

One of the trains, the Mewar Express, was stopped at a red signal when the other train rammed into it from behind, said Suresh Chandra Sharma, the district magistrate.

The rescue operation lasted seven hours.