[Reader-list] Blood Thirsty Maoists claim another 100 lives of civilians !"

[Pawan Durani]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoist-blast-derails-13-coaches-of-Express-train-65-dead/articleshow/5983218.cms
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoist-blast-derails-13-coaches-of-Express-train-65-dead/articleshow/5983218.cms>
JHARGRAM, West Bengal: At least 65 passengers of a Maharashtra-bound express
train were killed early Friday and over 200 injured in a ‘Maoist’ attack
which led to derailment of 13 coaches that were hit by a goods train coming
from the opposite direction.

The bodies of the passengers were removed from the mangled remains of the
ill-fated coaches of the Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super
Deluxe Express and the injured taken out with the help of gas cutters, a
south eastern railway spokesman said.

"65 bodies have been recovered. The toll could go up," West Bengal home
secretary Samar Ghosh said.

The incident occurred at 1:30 am when the train was running between
Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 km from Jhargram, south eastern
railway officials said.

In Kolkata, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surojit
Karpurokayastha said that according to preliminary investigation, fish
plates were found removed at the derailment site.

Earlier, railway minister Mamata Banerjee said the derailment followed a
blast apparently triggered by Maoists who are observing a 'black week'.

"We suspect Maoist hand behind the blast," Member (Traffic) Railway Board
Vivek Sahai said.

He said the driver of the train heard a loud explosion after which the train
derailed. Railways are investigating if the tracks were tampered with, he
said.

5 of the 13 derailed coaches fell on an adjacent track and were hit by a
goods train coming from the opposite direction, Additional Superintendent of
Police, Jhargram, Mukesh Kumar said.

Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were pressed into service at the accident
spot to airlift some of the injured to the hospitals.

Banerjee, who reached the accident spot, said a patrol engine had passed
through the area half an hour earlier, but the timing of the blast proved
disastrous with a portion of the line being blown away.

She announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each of the
dead and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

This is the second Maoist attack on civilians this month. Naxals had blown
up a civilian bus in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on May 17, killing
at least 36 people, including 12 Special Police Officers.

The West Bengal home secretary said that the over 200 injured have been
shifted to different hospitals and the condition of some of them is
critical.

"Some of the critically injured people have been brought to Kolkata for
surgical treatment," he said, adding that 30 of the bodies have been sent to
various hospitals for post-mortem.

President Pratibha Patil, who is in China, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident. The Prime Minister
announced Rs 2 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for
the injured.

South eastern railway spokesman Soumitra Majumdar said the train had 24
coaches. After the explosion, 13 including 10 sleeper coaches, derailed of
which five were hit by the goods train coming on the opposite track. The
derailment took place at a spot, 150 km from Kolkata.

An unreserved coach, the pantry car and luggage van also derailed, he said.

Relief officials used gas cutters to extricate trapped passengers and bodies
from the mangled remains of the affected coaches. Passengers belongings lay
strewn scattered on the tracks.

Angry passengers said the first signs of relief came only around 5 am,
three-and-a-half hours after the incident.

Nine of the coaches which were not damaged in the blast took the injured and
the other passengers to Kharagpur where they were admitted to hospital.

Anti-Maoist forces were at the spot and assisting the police and rescue
personnel in extricating the bodies from four badly damaged sleeper coaches
S-5, S-6, S-7 and S-8.

Helplines have been set up at Kharagpur -- (0322) 255751 and 255735, Howrah
- (033) 26382217, besides a toll free number 10722.

Helplines have also been set up at Tatanagar (0657) 2290324, 2290074,
2290382, at Rourkela (0661) 2511155, Chakradharpur (06587) 238072 and
Jharsuguda (06445) 270977.