LUCKNOW, India - A passenger train derailed Friday in northern India, killing six people and injuring at least a dozen others, an official said.

Three coaches of the train jumped the tracks early Friday near Bachhrawan village in Uttar Pradesh state, said Manoj Sinha, the junior minister for railways.

Villagers, police and railway security guards were trying to rescue passengers trapped in the crashed coaches. Six bodies had been pulled out, but several others were feared trapped in the wreckage.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.

Train accidents are common in India. The country's railroad network is one of the world's largest and carries more than 23 million passengers each day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.