At least five people have died after a cargo train collided with a passenger train in eastern India on Monday, according to a local police official, as a top official ordered a major emergency response.

The Kanchenjunga Express, which runs between the city of Kolkata and Silchar in northeastern Assam state, was struck by a freight train south of the city of Siliguri, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.