CHENNAI, May 1 � A 24-year old woman techie was killed and 14 others injured when a twin bomb blast rocked the Bangalore-Guwahati Express at the busy Central Railway station in the city today, reports PTI.
The two low-intensity bombs that went off in quick succession in S4 and S5 coaches, about 10 minutes after the train chugged into the platform in the morning, triggered of chaotic scenes with panic stricken passengers running for safety.
The woman killed in the mishap has been identified as Swathi, employed with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Bangalore. She was travelling to her home town Guntur in Andhra Pradesh along with a friend, police said.
The fourteen injured persons, including two critically wounded, were undergoing treatment at the State-run Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital where doctors described their condition as �out of danger�.
Police cordoned off the platform where the explosion occurred, rushed forensic experts, bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs to look for clues and the Tamil Nadu Government transferred the investigation to its specialised wing CB-CID.
The train continued its onward journey after railway authorities replaced three damaged coaches while other trains were being operated as scheduled after a brief disruption, railway officials said.
The police are probing all angles, including whether the bomb was planted after the train entered the city railway station or elsewhere, a police official refusing to be identified said.
The Union Home Ministry was preparing to send teams of the National Investigation Agency, National Security Guard and forensic experts to Chennai, but put on hold the plan after the Tamil Nadu government refused to take any help, saying its police was well equipped to handle the blast probe.
The explosions evoked strong condemnation from various leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK chief M Karunanidhi, among others.
Singh condemned the blasts, saying such �barbaric acts� highlight the �desperation and cowardice� of those responsible and asserted that no efforts would be spared in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
