Crowds watch as Indian fire force personnel attempt to retrieve the bodies of victims from the Bangalore-Ernakulam train which derailed after a boulder fell on the track in Bidaragere, about 50 kms from Bangalore on February 13, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

NEW DELHI - At least 10 people were killed and more than 150 others injured in a train derailment in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on Friday, a senior police officer said.

"The mishap happened when nine coaches of Bengaluru City- Ernakulam Intercity express train derailed near state capital Bengaluru. While seven people died on the spot, those injured have bee admitted to a local hospital," he said, on condition of anonymity.

Local TV channels showed footage of rescue workers trying to pull out those feared trapped in the coaches of the train which runs between Bengaluru and Kochi in the neighboring state of Kerala.

"Initial reports suggest a boulder may have fallen on the track," a senior railway official was quoted as saying.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, he added.