A passenger train and a cargo train collided in Western India Thursday killing at least 24 people. The accident took place in the village of Samlaya. The trains were thrown off the tracks at the site of the accident. 94 people were injured in the collision, at least 20 of the injuries are considered serious.

Local officials are investigating the cause of the accident. While no conclusions have been reached, one official indicated that a signal problem may have been the cause of the collision. The collision took place at approximately 3:30 AM local time so many of the passengers were asleep when the trains hit.

The survivors of the crashed were shocked by what happened. 'I was sleeping when I fell from the upper berth. There was a deafening crash. We tried getting out of the coach, but the door was jammed,' Preeti Thakkar, 23, told the Associated Press. Thakkar was in a local hospital with an injured collarbone as a result of the accident.

The passenger train was coming from the city of Varanasi, a Hindu pilgrimage site.

Federal Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was booed when he finally arrived at the site of the accident. Some people even threw stones at Yadav although he was not injured.

'It took the railway minister more than eight hours to reach the site. And when he reached the hospital, the police would not let us talk to him,' said Navin Shah, another eyewitness.

India's railroads are considered among the most dangerous in the world. More than 300 accidents take place annually on India's railroads which are the second largest in the world. Only China has a larger railroad system than India.