A railway disaster in the southern part of Republic of the Congo has killed around 60 people and injured hundreds more, media reports quoted the country's CFCO rail company chief as saying on Tuesday.

The disaster happened late Monday night after the train left the coastal town of Pointe-Noire on the Chemin de Fer Congo Ocean (CFCO) line to the capital Brazzaville.

Four of the wagons careered into the ravine near the station of Yanga, around 60 km from Pointe-Noire, the reports said.

So far, around 60 bodies have been recovered from the crash site and about 450 people were being treated for injuries of different degrees.