The last ride for 66 passengers

February 19, 2007 14:22 IST

It was one of the most devastating terrorist attacks on Indian Railways.

Sixty six people were killed and 13 others injured in two blasts on board the Delhi-Attari special express at Siwa village in Panipat district past midnight.

Many of those killed were Pakistani nationals returning home after meeting their near and dear ones in India. The fire caused by the blasts was noticed in the last two bogies of the train when it reached the railway crossing near the village at about 0100 hours, the Panipat

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police said.

Panic-stricken passengers jostled and jumped for safety following the blasts and subsequent fire in the two bogies as the train halted near the village in darkness. Most passengers were asleep at the time of the blasts.

Official sources said most of the bodies recovered were charred beyond recognition. The bodies have been brought to the Civil Hospital at Panipat where they have been kept for identification.

Image: A Railway Protection Police officer stands beside the charred coaches of the Delhi-Attari special express at Deewana railway station near Panipat in Haryana.
Photograph: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images