India investigates train fire that killed 7

Forensic investigators in India were trying to determine Wednesday what caused a fire that engulfed two train cars and killed seven passengers, including an Australian researcher.

The fire broke out before dawn Tuesday as the express train was traveling from Kolkata to the north Indian city of Dehradun in Jharkhand state.

The train's engineers managed detach the two blazing cars from the rest of the train, but were unable to save seven people who died from suffocation or burns.

The victims included a 4-year-old girl and a 21-year-old Australian woman who was traveling with three fellow researchers, who survived.

Australia's foreign affairs department said it was in contact with the surviving women in India, as well as with their families in Australia.

Arjun Munda, Jharkhand's chief minister, expressed condolences Wednesday as well as concern over India's high number of railway mishaps. He urged authorities to improve safety.

Accidents are common on India's railroad network — one of the world's largest with some 14 million passengers daily. Most collisions and fires are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.

Another accident Wednesday involving a collision between a passenger express train and a cargo train left four people injured. Authorities blamed the accident in an Orissa state railway station on a faulty signal.