M A I N   N E W S

10 die in Shramjeevi Express blast

Jaunpur (UP), July 28
At least 10 persons, including a woman, were killed and 79 injured, 20 of them seriously, when a bomb tore through a compartment of the Delhi-bound Shramjeevi Express train from Patna between Jaunpur and Sultanpur stations near here this evening.

Ten bodies were kept at nearby Badla hospital.

The blast took place near the toilet of the general compartment, two bogies from the engine, of the train at around 5.15 pm, railway officials said. Casualities were confined to the compartment, witnesses said.

Official sources said the injured had been admitted to various hospitals in Singramau and Badlapur while some of the seriously injured were shifted to Varanasi.

Efforts were on to identify the victims and relief and rescue operations were on in full swing. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said in Patna that probe into the incident has begun to ascertain the nature of the blast. He did not rule out the possibility of a gas cylinder explosion.

Railway Board Chairman R.K. Singh said in New Delhi that it was not immediately clear if the explosion was caused by a bomb or some other material.

Director General of UP Police Yashpal Singh said in Lucknow that a bomb disposal squad from Varanasi and forensic team from Agra had left for Jaunpur. — PTI