At least 55 people have been killed in India's Gujarat state, where an angry mob - believed to be Muslims - attacked a train carrying Hindu activists.

Local officials say at least 75 people were in four coaches that were set on fire.

The incident occurred near the town of Godhra about 150 kilometers southeast of the state's commercial capital, Ahmedabad, early Wednesday morning.

The train was carrying members of a Hindu nationalist organization Vishaw Hindu Parisad or World Hindu Council returning from a rally in the northern town of Ayodhya.

Local officials are quoted as saying the mob of Muslims - enraged by slogan shouting Hindus - pelted the train with stones, forced it to stop and set coaches on fire after dousing them with kerosene. The Hindu nationalists are campaigning for the construction of a temple in Ayodhya on the ruins of a 16th century mosque destroyed by Hindu hard-liners in 1992.

Hours after the attack, the Hindu group vowed to begin construction March 15th, ignoring a court order banning any construction at the site. A spokesman for the Hindu council said construction would take place without violence.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee condemned the attack on the train. He also urged the Hindu nationalist group to suspend its activities in Ayodhya.

Tuesday, the government assured leaders from all the country's main political parties that it will not allow any construction on or near the disputed site.

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