One killed in explosion at railway station in West Bengal

KOLKATA - A 70-year-old man was killed and two women were injured Thursday when a bomb, kept in a box, exploded at a railway station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, police said.

According to railway sources, the incident occurred around 2.10 p.m. at Baidyabati railway station between Howrah-Burdwan main line section of Eastern Railway.

“An old man picked up a tiffin box lying on the railway track. As he tried to open the box, it exploded leaving him dead and injuring two women,” Eastern Railway spokesperson said.

The impact of the explosion was very huge as the splinters spread over a large area, he added.

“The death toll could have increased if the bomb exploded during wee hours. The bomb exploded in the afternoon when the platform was almost vacant,” said a senior officer of Government Railway Police (GRP).

The train services along the route, which were suspended for quite some time, have been resumed.

“A GRP team from adjacent Seourafuli station has been rushed to Badiyabati station,” Superintendent of Railway Police (Howrah division) Rabindranath Mukherjee said.