Watch video: Moment when train hits dozens of people in Amritsar ,india

NEW DELHI - A high-speed passenger train was hit by a crowd of people on railways in amritsar northern India, killing at least 59 people on Friday, making it India's worst railway disaster this year, government officials said.

Video footage from the scene showed that hundreds gathered to watch the burning of a statue as part of the celebrations of the Dushera Festival when a passenger train passed through the crowd.

#WATCH The moment when DMU train 74943 ran over people who were watching #Dussehra celebrations in Choura Bazar near #Amritsar (Source Unverified) pic.twitter.com/XJN37vB0md

— ANI (@ANI) ١٩ أكتوبر ٢٠١٨

"There are 59 confirmed dead, the number of victims could rise," state police chief Suresh Arora told Reuters, adding emergency officials were still trying to ascertain the extent of the disaster in the suburbs of Amritsar, Punjab province.

A Reuters witness at the scene saw the bodies of victims scattered around the railway lines, and friends and relatives around them were shocked and many were crying and stunned.

An officer in the police control room said it was difficult to confirm the death toll because there were broken body parts everywhere.

One of the victims who died was the artist Dalper Singh, who played the role of Ravanna in the Ramlila, which was witnessed by revelers at the time of the incident. He survived his mother, brother, wife and eight-month-old daughter.

#Amritsar: Dalbir Singh (pic 1), who played the role of Ravan in a Ramlila in the city during Dussehra celebrations, died in #AmritsarTrainAccident, yesterday. His mother (pic 3) says, "I appeal to the govt to provide a job to my daughter-in law. She also has a 8-month old baby." pic.twitter.com/MFDHVhwf4G

— ANI (@ANI) ٢٠ أكتوبر ٢٠١٨

According to local news agency ANI, the chief medical officer at the civil hospital in Amritsar said 60 people were killed and at least 51 injured.

Police said it was a "strange accident" as people did not hear the train approaching the religion of ceremonies and fireworks.

In Amritsar, video footage showed the statues of the Devil Ravanna just lit, and the fireworks were fired when the train turned to the crowd, who were raising their necks and applauding the program.

According to the news agency, a witness at the site said that the train that ran over the people was traveling at high speed.

Amarendar Singh, Punjab's prime minister, said he was rushing to Amritsar to oversee relief and rescue operations. "Local authorities have been mobilized on the basis of war," Singh said.

"We have also ordered an investigation into the cause of this incident," Singh told the agency, adding that he did not know why the celebrations of the city of Duchihra were celebrated near the railway lines.

The Prime Minister declared the state of mourning and said all offices and educational institutions across the state would remain closed on Saturday.

A witness told India's Times New TV that the relatives of some of the dead were picking their own bodies and that no appropriate rescue operations were currently under way.

Local television stations showed pictures of angry and confused local people, including a weeping mother who had just lost a child in the tragedy.

Prime Minister Narendra Moody said he was deeply saddened by the incident.

"The tragedy is tragic," he said.

"I would like to express my condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and pray that the injured will recover quickly.

India's railways, built largely during colonial rule, have a horrifying record of safety after decades of under-investment in railway safety infrastructure, where priority remained to keep prices low for the 23 million passengers who use the network Daily.

Seven people were killed and 21 others injured earlier this month when nine coaches of the Faraki Express train derailed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.