Death toll rises in India train wreck

Police say death toll from train crash in eastern India has risen to 145

Last updated: September 15, 2018 | 20:32

1 MIN READ

Sardiha: A police official said the death toll from a train crash blamed on saboteurs in eastern India has risen to 145 after some of the badly injured died from injuries.

Surojit Kar Purkayastha, a state inspector general of police, said on Sunday the death toll is expected to reach 150.

Railways spokesman Soumitra Mazumdar said that normal rail traffic has resumed on the route after workers replaced an 18-inch portion of the track.

Police have blamed the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities for damaging the track.

Bhupinder Singh, the top police official in West Bengal, said PCPA posters had been found at the scene taking responsibility for the attack.

The Sardiha area is a stronghold of the rebels, known as Naxalites.

A crane lifts a train car of the Jnaneswari Express as rescue workers and civilians look on.

Police began searching for Maoists rebels on Saturday believed responsible for sabotaging the crowded passenger train, as rescuers continued pulling bodies from the wreckage.

A relative searches through photos of victims of the train crash outside a hospital in Midnapore.

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