The disaster occurred in the early hours of the morning when most passengers were sleeping. It took several hours for police and medical crews to reach the site. The Indian Air Force and other security agencies immediately launched a massive rescue operation.

The area where the accident occurred is a known Maoist stronghold in West Bengal where there has been a wave of recent attacks.

Confusion initially prevailed on the exact cause of the disaster. Some officials blamed an explosion, but passengers who had managed to escape said they heard no blast.

Police who combed the site said that metal parts used to hold sections of track together were missing and had apparently been removed in an act of sabotage. But initially Indian railway minister Mamata Banerjee who rushed to the site, said the crash was a result of a bomb blast.

"I don't know why innocent lives have been lost," he said. "This is not acceptable. There was a bomb blast up and down both lines. The home ministry must investigate the matter and book the culprits. We don't want any passengers' lives compromised."

Indian rail network is a soft target

With more than 20 million passengers travelling each day on its vast network, the Indian railway is a soft target that Maoists have attacked several times in the past.

Bhupinder Singh, the police chief of West Bengal, also blamed the Maoist rebels, saying an outfit called The People's Committee to Prevent Police Atrocities, a front organization, had claimed responsibility for the incident.

"It is now clear that the derailment was caused by the removal of the pin drill clips. That’s what caused the sabotage," he said.

Sampat Mandal, a laborer who was injured in the accident, said it took him over two hours to extricate himself from the mangled heap. "I am looking for my brother, I can't find him, I don't know where he is. There are many who are dead. When the train was hit I managed to get out but after it was hit by the good train many more died."

Ninth major strike blamed on Maoists

This is the ninth major strike since February this year and the third attack on trains blamed on the leftist rebels who claim to be fighting for the poor and landless tribals in east and central India.

The armed rebels, whose influence runs in 34 regions of eight states, had declared a "black week" starting midnight Thursday, a period of strikes and stepped-up activities against the government.

Last month, more than 70 military officers were killed in an attack in the central state of Chhattisgarh, and on May 17 a bus carrying civilians and policemen was bombed and 20 people were killed in the same area.

Author: Murali Krishnan (New Delhi)
Editor: Anne Thomas