A powerful explosion ripped through a train in eastern India on Monday, killing five people and wounding 25 seriously, police said.
The explosion hit two crowded coaches near a remote railway station in West Bengal state, about 665km north of state capital Kolkata, Raj Kanojia, a top police officer, told the media.
”It seems to be a powerful bomb and the casualties could mount in the next few hours,” Kanojia said.
The blast took place around 6.10pm local time when the train stopped at Belakoba station on its way to the tourist town of New Jalpaiguri.
Police and emergency workers were rushed to the area and hundreds of panic-stricken passengers were being evacuated, Kanojia added.
Police said they had no clues yet about who may have been behind the blast, but added that anti-India rebels from the neighbouring state of Assam and a local insurgent group, the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, were known to have a presence in the area. — Reuters