2005 Jaunpur train bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Jaunpur train bombing occurred on July 28, 2005, when an explosion destroyed a carriage of an express train near the town of Jaunpur
in Uttar Pradesh
.
The Shramjivi Express train was travelling in the afternoon between Jaunpur and Delhi
, when at 5.15pm, a sudden explosion tore through one of the carriages. the train's crew were able to halt the engine quickly, thus preventing the train derailing following the blast. As other passengers and locals aided those wounded by the blast, emergency services fought to extinguish the burning carriage.
Thirteen people were killed by the blast, or died later from their injuries. A further 50 people required medical treatment, including several who underwent amputations. The cause of the explosion was traced to the carriage's toilet, where a bomb using the explosive RDX
had detonated. RDX is a military grade explosive which had been used in several terrorist attacks on Indian targets, including the Ayodhya train bombing in June 2000.
Eyewitnesses reported two young men who boarded the train at Jaunpur with a white suitcase. Shortly afterwards, both of them leaped from the moving train into fields and ran away without their suitcase. A few minutes later, the explosion shook the carriage.
According to officials, it is highly unlikely that this was an accidental explosion, and authorities are attributing it to Islamic extremists, who have conducted several attacks following a year of severe racial tensions in India, including major rioting in Dashehera and Ayodhya nearby.
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
.
The Shramjivi Express train was travelling in the afternoon between Jaunpur and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, when at 5.15pm, a sudden explosion tore through one of the carriages. the train's crew were able to halt the engine quickly, thus preventing the train derailing following the blast. As other passengers and locals aided those wounded by the blast, emergency services fought to extinguish the burning carriage.
Thirteen people were killed by the blast, or died later from their injuries. A further 50 people required medical treatment, including several who underwent amputations. The cause of the explosion was traced to the carriage's toilet, where a bomb using the explosive RDX
RDX
RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
had detonated. RDX is a military grade explosive which had been used in several terrorist attacks on Indian targets, including the Ayodhya train bombing in June 2000.
Eyewitnesses reported two young men who boarded the train at Jaunpur with a white suitcase. Shortly afterwards, both of them leaped from the moving train into fields and ran away without their suitcase. A few minutes later, the explosion shook the carriage.
According to officials, it is highly unlikely that this was an accidental explosion, and authorities are attributing it to Islamic extremists, who have conducted several attacks following a year of severe racial tensions in India, including major rioting in Dashehera and Ayodhya nearby.