Sixty-eight passengers of a Mumbai-bound express train were killed and 200 injured in a Maoist attack here early today that derailed 13 coaches, five of which were hit by a goods train coming from the opposite direction.

Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) claimed responsibility for the derailment of the Howrah-Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Gyaneshwari Super Deluxe Express that occurred in West Midnapore district, about 150 kms from Kolkata.

Confusion prevailed over whether a bomb blast or an act of sabotage by removal of fish plates led to the derailment, in yet another Naxal attack targeting railways.

"PCPA has left two posters near the rail tracks clearly owning responsibility for the derailment," IGP (Law and Order) S Karpurakayastha told PTI in Kolkata. The posters read, "We had demanded withdrawal of joint security forces from Jangalmahal (West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura) and end of CPI(M) atrocities. But those demands were not met".

The attack came as the Maoists observe a 'Black Week'.

The death toll in the tragedy was put at 68 by a senior South Eastern Railway official here who also said over 200 passengers had sustained injuries. The official said the bodies of the victims have been extricated.

Some passengers were believed to be still trapped inside the mangled coaches, he said.

"The toll could go up," West Bengal Home Secretary Samar Ghosh said.

The incident occurred at 1:30 am when the train was running between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations, about 135 km from here, South Eastern Railway officials said.

Five of the 13 derailed coaches fell on an adjacent track and were hit by a goods train coming from the opposite direction, Additional Superintendent of Police, Jhargram, Mukesh Kumar said.

Railwayminister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the spot, said a "bomb blast" triggered by Maoists on the rail track caused the derailment and that TNT explosives and gelatine sticks were found at the accident site.

In New Delhi, home minister P Chidambaram said the derailment appeared to be an act of sabotage but it was not yet clear whether explosives were used to blast the tracks.

West Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh said, "It is a sabotage. Whether it is a blast we are not sure about it.

Penbroll clips connecting the fish plates were found missing along a 50-metre stretch in both the up and down lines.That resulted in the accident".

Karpurokayastha said that according to preliminary investigation, fish plates were found removed at the derailment site.

The state government would bear the treatment cost of the injured passengers, the chief minister's secretariat sources said.

"State government has already rushed preliminary rescue teams with doctors and ambulances and more will follow," the sources said.

Senior railway officials including Railway Board Chairman S S Khurana and DG RPF rushed to the spot.

A relief train left Kharagpur with a team of 12 doctors and 20 paramedics as also two doctors from the Kalaikunda airbase, the officials said.

Helplines have been set up at Kharagpur -? (0322) 255751 and 255735, Howrah - (033) 26382217, besides a toll free number 10722.

Helplines have also been set up at Tatanagar (0657) 2290324, 2290074, 2290382, at Rourkela (0661) 2511155, Chakradharpur (06587) 238072 and Jharsuguda (06445) 270977.

"The S-5 and S-6 coaches bore the maximum brunt of the impact," Palash Ganti, a passenger, said.

Ganti, who was travelling in the B1 coach, said when he looked out of the window he found that half of the coaches had derailed and a goods train on the opposite tracks hitting them.

"At first, we thought Maoists have attacked to loot the train. When the accident happened no RPF personnel were present on the train," said another passenger.

Earlier report:

Twenty-six bodies were recovered and 150 injured taken out from the mangled coaches of the Maharashtra-bound express in West Midnapore district today, the South Eastern Railway said

Of the 26 bodies, 18 were taken to the Midnapore Hospital and eight to the Kharagpur State General Hospital, a SER spokesman said.

The spokesman said that death toll could go up as rescuers were cutting open the the derailed coaches.

Related report:

Fish plates removed: WB police

Fish plates were found removed at the spot where the Mumbai-bound Gyaneswari express derailed early this morning leaving 20 people killed, a senior police official said.

Inspector general of police (Law and Order) Surojit Karpurokayastha said that according to preliminary investigation, fish plates were found removed at the derailment site.

Earlier, railway minister Mamata Banerjee said the derailment took place after a blast.

Twenty people were killed and 104 injured after the train derailed and was hit by a goods train.

Related reports:

Air India sends relief aircraft to rail derailment site

Air India today pressed into service a special relief aircraft to help the victims of the rail derailment near Jhargram at West Bengal.

A 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft took off from the Kolkata airport this morning for the Kalaikunda airstrip near the site of the disaster with 43-member team of National Disaster Mangagement officials and 500 kgs of relief material, a statement issued by the air carrier said.

Two officials of Air India, including an engineer, were on the flight as well to extend any logistical support to clear the aircraft, it said

CR setup helpline for Howrah-Mumbai Express victims

Central Railway today said that they have set up helpline at several stations in Maharashtra to assist the victims relatives of the Howrah-Mumbai Express.

Assistance booth helpline numbers have been set up at several places like Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Thane, Kalyan, Nagpur, Bhusaval, he said.

The helpline numbers for - CST - 022-22694040, LTT - 022-25298499, 022-25224812, Thane - 022-25334840, Kalyan - 0251-2311499, Nagpur - 0712-25643242.

"We have received a list of about 45 injured persons but we are yet to figure out how many are from Mumbai. We are also awaiting the total number of dead and injured," Central Railway PRO A K Singh told PTI.

"We have put up a list of those injured at the Kurla terminus," Singh added.

Sixty-five passengers of a Mumbai-bound Express train were killed early today and 200 injured in a Maoist attack which led to the derailment of 13 coaches that were hit by a goods train coming from the opoosite direction.

The train was expected to reach Mumbai at 0545 hours tomorrow.