Nine people have died and 47 were left injured after a high-speed train crashed into a pedestrian bridge at a station in Turkey.

The train was en route from Marsandiz station in the capital city of Ankara, to the city of Konya, when it crashed into an engine that was checking the tracks at around 6.30 am (0330 GMT).

Three engine drivers and six passengers were killed in the crash, Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said.

One of the passengers died after being taken to hospital, while others were killed at the scene.

Private NTV television said at least two carriages derailed and parts of the bridge collapsed onto the train.

Rescue teams sent to the scene were looking for more survivors, Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said, with several ambulances and rescue teams sent to the scene.

“Our hope is that there are no other victims,” he said.

Turhan said no one else is believed to be trapped.

In July, 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in north-western Turkey, after torrential rain caused part of the rail tracks to collapse.

Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the central province of Sivas.

Konya, about 160 miles south of Ankara, is home to the tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

The crash occurred during an annual week of remembrance for Rumi when many travel to Konya to watch whirling dervishes perform.