At least 8 persons were killed and 38 others injured when a minibus skidded off the Bankim Setu flyover and fell on the railway tracks at Howrah station near Kolkata on Saturday.

The bus coming to Howrah from Nazirganj dashed against the railing of the flyover and fell 40 feet below when its driver lost control over the speeding vehicle, Howrah District Magistrate Sanghamitra Ghosh said.

She said that 12 passengers were seriously injured in the accident that occurred a little before 4:00 pm. Earlier, the police had said that 10 persons were feared killed in the accident and the injured were rushed to hospital.

Train services at the Howrah station were disrupted as the bus fell on the tracks near platform number 12, railway sources said.

A medical team and senior officers have rushed to the spot.

As a precautionary measure, the railway authorities switched off high tension power supply to platforms 10 to 23, while only the down Himgiri Express was allowed to enter platform number 18.

However, local train services from platforms number one to five were unaffected.