NEW DELHI — Rescue workers in India recovered more bodies Sunday from the wreckage of a passenger train that derailed and was hit by a cargo train.
The death toll stands at more than 140 people.
Hundreds of people were injured when the express train traveling from the northeastern city of Kolkata to Mumbai on the west coast crashed in a remote part of West Bengal state early Friday.
Officials blame Maoists for the tragedy. The area is a stronghold of the rebels, known as Naxalites, who say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless.
Railway officials have canceled all night trains in a number of areas where Moast rebels are active.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the derailment. They say it appears that a portion of the track was removed.
The crash occurred as Maoist rebels called for five days of protests starting Friday in five eastern and central states where they are dominant.
The government calls the Maoists India’s most serious internal security threat.
— Voice of America
