Two passenger trains collided in northern India, killing at least 12 people and injuring 45 others.

Two passenger trains collided in northern India, killing at least 12 people and injuring 45 others, a railway spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Lucknow-Barauni Express derailed late Tuesday when it hit sideways another express train in Uttar Pradesh state.

"According to the information that we have till now, 12 people have unfortunately lost their lives in the accident and 45 others are injured," spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena told Agence France Presse.

Deadly accidents are common on India's railways, whose vast and rundown network carries tens of millions of people daily.