Video PlayerClose

NEW DELHI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and three others injured after a speeding train ran them down Sunday in India's western state of Rajasthan, police said.

The accident took place at a railway station in Sawi Madhopur, about 161 km southeast of Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan.

Reports said the passengers were travelling on the top of the train due to excessive rush.

The sight of blood-soaked bodies on the railway tracks triggered panic among bystanders and passengers.

India's sprawling railway system is the world's third largest network, ferrying around 23 million people each day. As one of the oldest train networks in the world, it is often criticized for being inefficient, overburdened and unsafe.

The Indian government in 2015 announced an investment of over 137 billion U.S. dollars over a period of five years to improve its railway system.