Guwahati: Kamrup Express escapes blast

Guwahati, Jan 23: Passengers of the Kamrup Express had a miraculous escape last night when a bomb went off on the railway track minutes before the train was due to reach the spot.

The bomb exploded under a goods train in the Diphu-Lailong sector and a wagon was partially damaged.

Train traffic was also suspended on the route following the blast. It has, however, been restored this morning.

Northeast Frontier(NF) Railways Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Trikalaikka Rabha confirmed the blast and said it occurred at 2145 hours last night, on the Diphu-Lailong track.

He said,''The Kamrup Express, which was due to pass through the area, escaped. The blast took place under the fourth wagon from the engine of a good train.'' He added that the wagons were not derailed and the blast damaged two feet of the tracks. ''Train traffic was restored at 0515 hours this morning'', he said.

Mr Rabha said intensified security vigil, along the railway tracks, since the beginning of this month has checked blasts.

He said, ''Security pilot engines pass through the tracks regularly. Security has been tightened and regular patrolling is on.

As a result, the militants do not get enough time to plant the explosives.''

UNI