A total of 36 people were killed and 43 others wounded when a high-speed train en route from Istanbul to Ankara derailed Thursday, the Turkish Transport Ministry announced.

The Crisis Center of Turkey earlier put the death toll of the accident at 139, while Undersecretary of the Turkish Health Ministry Nejdet Unuvar told the NTV news channel that 128 people were killed and 57 others injured.

Semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported that four of the train's cars had overturned near Pamukova town in northwestern Sakarya province of Turkey.

The train left Istanbul at 6:00 pm local time (15:00 GMT) with about 234 passengers and derailed near Pamukova town around 7:45 pm (16:45 GMT).

Most of the dead and injured were travelling in the first two cars, according to Anatolia.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2004)