Five people have died as a train hit a lorry on a level crossing in India, local media report.

Four compartments of the Bangalore-Nanded express derailed in the incident in Andhra Pradesh early on Monday.

Karnataka politician Venkatesh Nayak was among the dead, as well as the driver of the lorry.

The incident comes weeks after two express trains derailed on a flooded bridge in Madhya Pradesh, killing at least 24 people.

"The level crossing was manned and had a red light on. The lorry overshot the speed breaker and rammed through the level crossing gate before crashing into the train", Sanjeev Agarwal, the divisional railway manager of Bangalore told BBC Hindi.

India's Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that it was an "unfortunate accident", adding that immediate medical relief had been sent to the site of the accident.

Source: BBC