2 Blasts on train at Chennai Railway Stn, woman dead, one suspect held

mangaloretoday.com/NDTV

Chennai, May 1, 2014:  Two explosions on a train killed a 24-year-old woman and wounded nine people, two of them critically, at the Chennai Central Railway Station on Thursday morning.

 

Sources say a man who was hiding in the train is being questioned.

 

 

The blasts took place at around 7:15 am in two sleeper coaches of the Guwahati-Bangalore Express, which had just pulled into platform 9 of the station for a 10-minute stop.

One of the bombs exploded under the seat of a woman, Swati, who was killed instantly. Officials said she was traveling from Bangalore to Vijayawada. Her relatives have been called to Chennai.

"They were minor intensity blasts. Experts from Delhi will be sent to investigate," said Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge.

 

 

"We heard a very loud explosion. It was only after the police came that we realised what had happened," said a passenger on the train.

A National Investigation Agency team is going to Chennai to join the investigations. There has been tight security across India as it nears the end of staggered voting for the national election.

The station was cordoned off after the blasts and scores of police personnel, along with sniffer dogs, checked the platforms and coaches.

The state government has announced compensation of one lakh for the family of the woman who died,  Rs. 55,000 for those who are critical and Rs. 5,000 for the others who were injured.

 

The injured have been identified as Murali (37), Krishnapant, Soren Pant, Santh, Bijan Kumar (24), Uma, Abdul Khan(24), Shihabul Haque (22), Vimal Kumar, Hari (21), Altaf Khan admitted to Government Hospital.

Officials also announced helpline numbers, 044 25357398 (Chennai), 080 22356409 and 080 22156553 (Bangalore).