France's interior minister says at least 7 people are believed dead and several injured after a packed passenger train derailed outside Paris.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls told reporters that the casualty toll is "in constant evolution," suggesting it could rise.

The SNCF national rail authority says the train was carrying some 385 passengers when it derailed Friday evening at 5:15 p.m. (1515 GMT) and crashed into the station at Bretigny-sur-Orge, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Paris.

The train was headed to Limoges.

SNCF official Jean-Paul Boulet says four carriages piled up after the train derailed. He could not confirm reports that passengers were still trapped inside.