Recsuers search for injured passengers in the carriages of a derailed train, in Bioce, just outside the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, Jan. 23, 2006. (Photo: CRI/AP)

    BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A packed passenger train plunged into a steep river canyon outside the Montenegrin capital on Monday, killing at least 39 people and injuring over 130, the government said.

    "Thirty-nine are dead, 135 are injured," Montenegro deputy Prime Minister Miroslav Ivanisevic told a news conference after an emergency government session.

    "The rescue operation is still under way," he said.

    The train derailed near Bioce, a village about 15 kilometers northeast of Podgorica, shortly after 4 p.m. (1400GMT). Enditem