Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

India says bomb was cause of deadly train blast - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive
Select Page

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – Police in India said on Friday that an explosion in a train that left 13 people dead and dozens wounded was caused by a bomb planted in a toilet.

Indian railway officials had earlier suggested the blast late on Thursday near Jaunpur town in northern Uttar Pradesh state may have been caused by a cooking gas cylinder, sometimes carried by villagers on trains.

But bomb experts discounted this on Friday.

&#34There is enough evidence to confirm the use of RDX explosive,&#34 a member of a police bomb squad, who did not want to be named, told Reuters from the site.

Uttar Pradesh Home (interior) Secretary Alok Sinha said authorities did not have any specific leads on who was behind the blast which occurred in an unreserved coach.

&#34It certainly is not an accident. It is some explosive planted in the coach,&#34 Sinha told Reuters.

&#34But who could have been behind it has not been ascertained.&#34

The RDX high explosive — also known as hexogen — has been used by militants fighting Indian rule in disputed Kashmir and in the country”s restive northeast region. The rebels have frequently targetted trains in the past.

In Thursday”s explosion, witnesses said some bodies were flung from the door of the moving train after the explosion.

&#34I was waiting in my car at the railway crossing and there was suddenly a big bang,&#34 Vineet Tiwari said.

&#34I got out and went closer. It was a horrible sight. People were lying with their limbs severed. Others were crying and screaming,&#34 he said over the telephone.

Police said at least 20 of the 46 wounded were in critical condition.

In 2000, just before India”s independence day on August 15, a bomb went off in a train in Uttar Pradesh, killing 12 people and wounding 37. New Delhi blamed Muslim militants backed by Pakistan”s spy agency for the blast.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Asharq Al-Awsat

Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.

More Posts

Follow Me:
FacebookGoogle PlusYouTube