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May 28, 2010
India train derails, 65 killed



The incident occurred in an area known to be a stronghold of Maoist rebels, and a railway spokesman said sabotage was suspected. -- PHOTO: AFP

KOLKATA - AN EXPRESS train packed with sleeping passengers derailed in India on Friday and slammed into a goods train, killing at least 65 people in an apparent attack by Maoist rebels, officials said. More fatalities were feared in the mangled wreckage after 13 carriages of the Mumbai-bound express train careened off the tracks in the state of West Bengal and collided with the oncoming freight train. Initial reports indicated the derailment may have been triggered by an act of sabotage, with officials pointing the finger at Maoist rebels who are active in the region of eastern India.

West Bengal Relief Minister Mortaja Hussain said hundreds of people had yet to be rescued from the train, which was heading to India's financial capital Mumbai from the West Bengal state capital Kolkata. Railways Minister Mamata Bannerjee, who rushed to the site, said she had originally been told that the derailment had been caused by an explosion on the tracks. However, several railway officials said it seemed a section of rail had been removed.

'The fear is that this was a Maoist attack,' Ms Bannerjee told reporters. 'The railways are a soft target. They are a lifeline ... which the Maoists have attacked in the past and, it seems, even now,' she added. The incident occurred at around 1.30am (2000 GMT on Thursday, 4am Singapore time) in the district of West Midnapore - a Maoist stronghold some 135km west of Kolkata. Maoist fighters waging a bloody rebellion have been responsible for several train derailments in eastern India in recent months. -- AFP