NEW DELHI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- At least four passengers standing on the footboard of a crowded suburban train were killed and several others injured Tuesday after they hit an electric pole and fell off, police said.

The accident took place at St Thomas Mount station in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.

"Today passengers travelling on foot board of an electrical multiple unit (EMU) train were hit by an electric pole here, following which about a dozen of them fell off from the train," a police official said. "Two came under the wheels right at the spot and two others succumbed to their injuries on their way to the hospital."

According to the police, the injured were immediately sent to a local hospital, where some of them were diagnosed as critical.

Reports said the commuters were standing on the footboard as the train was congested with commuters at the peak hour.