Survivors of train bomb massacre arrive home

SURVIVORS of the bombs that killed at least 66 passengers on a cross-border train from India arrived in Pakistan last night, sparking tears of relief among relatives who found their loved ones — and grief among those who did not.

Hundreds of passengers poured from the train, first at the border town of Wagha and then at its destination of Lahore, some throwing their arms into the air and thanking God.

Amid a crowd of security guards and family members in Wagha, passengers told of the terror that followed the blasts and fire that killed scores of people on the train north of the Indian capital, New Delhi, most of them Pakistanis.

Mohammad Haroon, aged 25, said he escaped from one of the burning carriages on the train from New Delhi by breaking a window with a kick and climbing out. “I climbed out and just ran, despite the pain in my feet,” both of which were heavily bandaged.

In Lahore, Musarrat Bibi, aged 60, was wandering in despair along the platform as the last passengers filed away.

“Where is my son? Where is my mother? I can’t find them,” she wailed, another visibly distraught son trailing along behind her.

Officials in Islamabad said there were 553 Pakistanis among the 757 passengers who boarded the Samjhauta Express, one of two train links established between the South Asian rivals under a three-year-old peace process.

Pakistani railway minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said 716 passengers arrived in Wagha, including 527 who had been aboard the Indian train when it was hit by an explosion some 18 hours earlier.

Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf condemned the attack as an act of terrorism.

However, he insisted that it should not halt peace talks between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since 1947, including two over the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir.