16 run over by train in western India

A train ran over and killed 16 people, including two children, in western India, a local railway official said Thursday.

The accident took place late Wednesday night near the city of Surat in Gujarat state, railway police officer H.M. Patel told The Associated Press.

The victims, who had disembarked at Surat, were walking along the tracks when they were crushed by the train. They are believed to have been poor migrant laborers from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Patel said.

Their bodies were spotted by the driver of another train, Patel said.

In India it's not unusual for poor travelers, who often do not have valid tickets, to hop off a train as it approaches a station to avoid detection by railway ticket checkers. They then walk along the tracks until they can board another train without attracting notice.