Tuesday, January 24 2006 10:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bioce (Serbia-Montenegro): A packed passenger train has derailed and plunged into a steep river canyon outside the Montenegrin capital, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 135, officials said.

The train derailed yesterday near Bioce, a village about 15 km northeast of Podgorica, shortly after 4 p.m. (1930 IST), as it emerged from a tunnel above the Moraca River, police said. Interior Minister Jusuf Kalomperovic said initial reports indicated the train's brakes might have failed.

At least 200 passengers were believed to be on the train when it crashed.

Victims cried out for help from the ravine, where four train cars lay smashed. Darkness in the densely forested area was hampering rescue efforts.

Deputy Prime Minister Miroslav Ivanisevic told reporters that the government's casualty figures stood at 39 people dead and 135 wounded, but he warned that the numbers could rise further as emergency crews continue to reach victims. He described the crash "as the worst rail accident in the history of Montenegro".

He said Andrija Lompar, the republic's transport minister, resigned because of the accident. A three-day mourning period was announced for the victims.

Police, medical workers and volunteers were pulling bodies from the 100-meter ravine.

At least 135 injured passengers, including 75 children, were taken to the main hospital in Podgorica, said Ivanisevic. Doctors appealed for blood donors.

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic visited the scene of the accident and called it a 'catastrophe'.