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Indian Train Wreck Kills At Least 65

   Anjana Pasricha | New Delhi 28 May 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   An  injured passenger is helped by a paramedic at the scene of a train
   crash  near  Sardiha, West Bengal state, about 150 kms (90 miles) west
   of Calcutta, India, 28 May 2010

   In  eastern  India,  at  least 65 people were killed and more than 100
   injured  when  a  high  speed train derailed and collided with another
   train.
   Police  officials  say several carriages of the passenger train packed
   with  sleeping  travelers derailed and fell onto the path of a freight
   train  near  a  small town in West Bengal state. Some of the carriages
   were badly crushed.
   The passenger train was traveling from Kolkata in West Bengal state to
   Mumbai.
   Officials  say  the  number  of  casualties  is could rise as rescuers
   struggle  to reach a large number of passengers trapped in the mangled
   carriages.  Survivors described scenes of chaos. Helicopters were used
   to evacuate the injured.
   The  head of police in West Bengal state,  Bhupinder Singh, called it
   a clear case of sabotage.
   Singh  said  Maoist  rebels  were to blame for the derailment. He says
   police found Maoist leaflets at the site.
   The  area  where  the crash occurred is a stronghold of Maoist rebels.
   The  rebels,  who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and
   the landless, have stepped up attacks in recent months.

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