New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): A total of 28 people have been killed and six are injured after they were run over by a speeding train in Bihar Monday morning, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said. Police in the state have however confirmed 37 deaths.

"As per the last information, 28 people were run over and lost their lives while six were injured," Kharge said in his statement made in the Rajya Sabha.

According to the minister, the incident occurred at Dhamara ghat railway station in Samastipur division of Bihar.

Giving the sequence of events, he said that at about 8.33 a.m. the Madhepura-Samastipur passenger train heading towards Samastipur was halted at the station and at 8.48 a.m. the Samastipur-Madhepura passenger train heading towards Madhepura too was stopped to give precedence to Rajyarani express.

Some passengers from both the trains got down on the non-platform side.

In the meantime the Rajyarani express approached the platform. As the loco pilot passed the signal which was on a curvature, he saw some people standing on the tracks and applied emergency brakes. However, by the time the train stopped, some people had been run over.

The minister further said that the medical relief train left from Barauni at 9.55 a.m. He announced a relief of Rs.5 lakh for the next of kin of the dead and Rs.1 lakh for the injured.