65 Killed, 200 Injured as Express Train Derails in Maoist Attack

As many as 65 passengers have been killed and 200 injured as 13 coaches of a Maharashtra-bound express train derailed in a Maoist attack and were hit by a goods train coming from opposite direction, said media reports.

“Sixty five bodies have been recovered. The toll could go up,” West Bengal Home Secretary Samar Ghosh was quoted as saying.

“We suspect it is a case of sabotage. The driver (of the passenger train) has reported to have heard a large sound. There was definite tinkering with the tracks,” member railway board Vivek Sahai was quoted as saying while talking to reporters in New Delhi.

“We had issued a red alert,” he was quoted as saying.

Gyaneshwari Express jumped rails at 1.30 am on Friday morning allegedly after fish plates were removed and portions of tracks cut out deep inside Maoist-dominated West Midnapore district of West Bengal, reports said.

Passengers sleeping in the coaches were killed as a goods train rammed into four bogies of the express train, said reports.

According to Sahai, the deaths were mainly because of the hit of goods train into derailed coaches of the train, reports said.

“There have been earlier cases of sabotage but never of this scale,” the railway board member was quoted as saying.

Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee who reached the spot said that a high level inquiry has been ordered, said reports.

“We condemn the incident. According to the information from Railways and administration, a bomb blast occurred triggering the incident. I shall write to the Union Home Minister to conduct an enquiry,” Railway minister Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying after reaching at the accident site.

Answering a query if Maoists were responsible for the mishap, she said that due to the bomb blast apprehension was that they were behind it, reports said.

“Let the rescue operations be over. After that we will get a report.”

South Eastern Railway officials said that the blast occurred when the train was running between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 km from Kolkata, said reports.

(Based on internet reports)