· 53 dead in blast on Indian train link to Pakistan<http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2016370,00.html>
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Mr Singh blamed it on the United Liberation Front of Assam. *ULFA* rebels stepped up violence after the government called off peace talks on September 24 and resumed a military offensive ... - Guardian Unlimited - *·* 4 hours ago 53 dead in blast on Indian train link to Pakistan http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2016370,00.html *Agencies in Delhi Monday February 19, 2007 The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>* At least 53 people were reported dead late last night when fire broke out on a train travelling between India and Pakistan following a reported explosion. Two coaches of the train travelling to Pakistan as part of the Samjhauta express were destroyed when they caught fire, a news report said, after a device exploded alongside the track. The train is the only rail link between India and Pakistan, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The fire happened near Deewana, a railroad station about 50 miles north of New Delhi, it said. The train was traveling from New Delhi to Atari, the last station before the land border with Pakistan, the agency said. he Samjhauta express connects a large number of Muslim families living with their relatives across the border. Its service has been disrupted several times in recent years as relations between India and Pakistan have improved and worsened. An explosive device was found near the track where the fire broke out, said VN Mathur, general manager of the Northern Railway. Fifty-three bodies have been recovered from the burned-out coaches, Mr Mathur told reporters. Northern India was last hit by a terrorist attack when at least 18 people were injured, several seriously, when a bomb exploded in a crowded market in Gauhati, north-eastern India, yesterday, police said. The bomb was planted on a bicycle by suspected separatist militants, police said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Mr Singh blamed it on the United Liberation Front of Assam. ULFA rebels stepped up violence after the government called off peace talks on September 24 and resumed a military offensive against the group.
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