28/05/2010 11:49
Indian passenger train derails leaving dozens killed and injured
An Indian passenger train derailed early Friday, sending railroad cars crashing onto an adjoining track. The accident has left dozens of passengers killed and injured. Local officials said at least 40 people were killed and about 110 injured.
The disaster occurred about 1:30 a.m., when most passengers were sleeping, and it took more than an hour for police and medical crews to reach the site.
The railway authorities said the crash was an act of sabotage by Maoist rebels in West Bengal state.
"The blast was carefully timed," India's Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said in an interview on television. "The tracks were sabotaged 15 minutes before the train passed over them."
India's Ministry for internal Affairs also said the wreck was caused by sabatoge.