Several dead in Moscow metro accident

At least 10 people have died and more than 100 were taken to hospital after a train derailed in Moscow's packed metro during rush hour on Tuesday, a top health official said.

Ten people died on Tuesday after a Moscow metro train derailed, the city's deputy mayor Pyotr Biryukov told journalists at the scene.

   

"Right now 10 people (are dead)," Biryukov said as the rescue operation continued, with about five people still believed to be trapped underground.

   

Georgy Golukhov, head of Moscow's health department, told reporters that 106 people had been hospitalised.

Russian national television has described scenes of chaos on the packed underground system, saying passengers fell like dominoes when the train braked abruptly.

The accident is one of the most serious to hit the Moscow metro in recent years.

The Interfax news agency reports more than 55 people have been hospitalised and another 12 to 15 have received treatment.