A total of 139 people were killed and 57 others were injured when an express train packed with passengers derailed in north-western Turkey, the undersecretary of the health ministry, Nejdet Unuvar, told the NTV news channel on Thursday.
"We have received information about 108 dead at the site of the accident and 20 others in hospital... There are 57 people injured," Unuvar said. "I hope the death toll will not rise further," he added.
"Four wagons were derailed and fell on their sides, but we don't know what caused the derailment," Mehmet Ayci of state railways told Reuters, adding mechanical trouble was suspected.
It came off the rails near the town of Pamukova at around 7:45 pm (1645 GMT), about 1-3/4 hours after leaving Istanbul, Turkey's commercial hub and biggest city.