West Bengal: toll rises to 110 casualties. Maoist group under investigation
New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) – The latest toll from yesterday’s rail disaster in district of West Midnapore (West Bengal), between the stations and Khemasoli Sardiya is of 110 dead. The wounded are about 200, many of whom are in serious condition. The collision between the high speed passenger train (from Calcutta to Mumbai) is believed to have been caused by Maoist rebels tampering with the rail lines. Authorities fear that the toll may exceed 150 deaths.
The accident occurred at 1 .30 am on May 28, in an area considered one of the strongholds of the Maoist guerrillas in West Bengal. The passenger train derailed and five carriages invaded the track of the oncoming freight train. The crash resulted in a real slaughter. Railway sources confirmed the discovery of 78 corpses, but there are still more than 30 bodies trapped between the wreckage that rescuers are still trying to pull out.
The police report that posters of a local group, closely linked to the Maoists rebels were found at the accident site. Investigators confirm the removal of part of the track, which caused the derailment of Gyaneshwari Express passenger train, so far there is no confirmation of a simultaneous bomb explosion at the passage of the convoy.
Police and government point the finger at the Maoists, but the rebels deny any involvement in the massacre. Interviewed by the BBC, spokesman Comrade Khokan said that the government "put the blame on us and put us on the defensive". Meanwhile, Congress, the majority party in India, and executive led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is under pressure to strengthen the fight against Maoist rebels. The Hindu nationalist opposition accuses New Delhi of "too soft" response towards the "Maoist threat", guilty of three large-scale attacks in the last two months.
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