Rebels blamed for train wreck

MAOIST rebels thought responsible for derailing a passenger train last Friday are being hunted by police. The locomotive smashed into an oncoming freight train, killing 98 people and injuring at least 200.

"These are Maoists and we are trying to trace them and bring them to justice," said Manoj Verma, a senior police official.

The crash site, in West Bengal state, eastern India, is in a Maoist stronghold and police said 150 rebels had been camping in the crash area for the past few days. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the Maoist insurgency is India's biggest internal security challenge.

The Maoists – who want to topple the government – say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless. About 600 people were killed in 1,000 such attacks last year.