Blast on rail track in Tamil Nadu, none hurt

CHENNAI - Train services were disrupted for about six hours Saturday after a bomb blast damaged three feet of track in Tamil Nadu’s Villipuram district Saturday, police said.

The incident took place around 2 a.m. near Perani railway station, around 160 km from here.

“The blast damaged three feet of track and caused a four-feet crater,” a police officer told IANS.

The passengers of the Chennai-bound Rockfort Express from Tiruchirappali had a miraculous escape because the driver stopped the train after getting a warning about the blast. He halted it about 200 feet from the spot.

No one claimed responsibility for the explosion. But unconfirmed reports said the police recovered a paper stating the blast was to protest against the visit of June 8-11 Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India.

Train services resumed around 9 a.m. After the track was set right, the first train to use it was the Rockfort Express.