Kolkata: The menace from the red-brigade touched new heights of inhumanity as at least fifteen passengers were killed and over 150 injured when 13 coaches of a Mumbai-bound express train derailed after suspected Maoists triggered a blast in West Midnapore district at 1:30 am.However, it is too early to point fingers at the Maoists hand. The devastation caused to the life and property is still being calculated and the casualty is expected to further rise.TheHowrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express had around 10 sleeper coaches, and hence, experts fear that the death toll could go much past 200 mark.Railway officials said that from the impact of the blast the derailed coaches of the express train from Howrah fell on another track and was hit by a goods train.Fifteen bodies were recovered from the mangled coaches (at the time of publishing this story) that included 10 sleeper bogies and one unreserved coach, besides a pantry car and a luggage van of the Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express, the officials said.The blast took place at 1:30 am when the express was running between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 km from here, the sources said.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was rushing to the spot, announced Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of each of the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.
One of the injured complained that the medical team didn't reach the spot till 5 in the morning, even though the accident? had took place at 1 30 am.A relief train left Kharagpur with a team of 12 doctors and 20 paramedics as also two doctors from the Kalaikunda airbase, they said.Helplines have been set up at Kharagpur � (0322) 255751 and 255735, Howrah ― (033) 26382217, besides a toll free number 10722.
Helplines have also been set up at Tatanagar (0657) 2290324, 2290074, 2290382, at Rourkela (0661) 2511155, Chakradharpur (06587) 238072 and Jharsuguda (06445) 270977.
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