Guwahati, Nov 17 (IANS) Militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) blew up a petroleum-laden train in Assam. At least 20 wagons went up in flames and a loss of Rs.100 million was estimated, officials said Tuesday.
A railway spokesperson said the train with 48 wagons of high speed diesel and petrol from the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in Assam caught fire late Monday near Changpool in Golaghat district, about 270 km from here.

“It was initially thought that the fire broke out after the train jumped the rails. But now we believe it was due to a powerful explosion on the rail track as we managed to recover wires and other materials used in triggering blasts from the site,” a senior Assam police official said on the condition of anonymity.

The fire was controlled around 10 a.m. Tuesday, 12 hours after the blast.

The train was bound for Uttar Pradesh from the NRL.

Locals in the area said they heard the sound of an explosion and saw the train go up in flames.

“The first message we got was from the train driver who spoke on the wireless set that there was a bomb blast and the train was on fire,” a senior railway official said.

“There was a big sound like that of a bomb blast and then the train derailed and caught fire,” Mahmod Ali, a local resident, said.

At least 10 more wagons were derailed and the petroleum products spilled on to the ground.

“So far, 24 wagons have been detached from the site. The damage is extensive,” A.K. Bhattacharya, deputy general manager (Marketing) of the NRL, told IANS.

Police and fire fighters struggled throughout the night to control the blaze that could be seen from at least five km, with the blaze leaping to a height of more than 100 metres.

The area is a stronghold of both the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Adivasi tribal militants.

Meanwhile, train services were disrupted as the accident took place on a main track.

“Several trains, including the Rajdhani Express bound for New Delhi were stopped. Train services can be resumed only after the track is cleared and repaired,” S. Hajong, chief spokesperson for Northeast Frontier Railways, said.