At least nine passengers and more than a hundred are injured after an Electric Multiple Unit passenger train from Chennai collided into a stationary Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger train in Arakkonam at 9:40 in the evening of Tuesday.

Railway Minister, Dinesh Trivedi, told media the collision was due to human error as the EMU train over sped at 96 kilometers per hour, skipped releasing three signals as part of standard operating procedure and smashed into Arakkonam's rear end, killing the stationary's on-duty guard on the spot.

The victims, mostly workers who were on their way home, and the train's motormen were sent to the Government General Hospital. Rescuers had to use gas cutters to pull out trapped passengers.

The EMU's engine driver, whose name withheld until formal complaints are filed, fled the train shortly before the crash. Deepak Kishan, general manager of Southern Railway, said in an on-site briefing to the media that the driver's failure to release automatic signals is a grave mistake.

Times of India reported the EMU's first three compartments were crunched before dismantling from the train.

Five coaches at Sitheri were also derailed and two rail lanes were damage from the collision. All trains bound to Chennai-Arrakonam route are currently on hold.