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Blast injures six on Djibouti train
Djibouti, January 18, 2004 (AFP) – Six passengers were injured on Sunday by a "criminal" explosion on a train travelling between Djibouti and Ethiopia, Djibouti 's interior ministry announced, adding the rail service had been suspended.
The explosion took place around 0600 GMT while the train was in Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa, the ministry said in a statement.
The blast occurred close to the junction at Daasbyo, some 75 km south of Djibouti city, it added.
"The explosion happened in the last but one passenger car and all the wounded were taken to hospital in Peltier, some for treatment and others for observation," the statement said.
The government has launched an inquiry to determine the cause of the blast.
"In order to save lives, the government has decided to interrupt rail traffic between Djibouti and Ethiopia," the statement said.
It added that police had recently detained several Ethiopian employees of the rail service in connection with possession of explosives.
Past explosions on the line have been claimed by the Oromo Liberation Front, an Ethiopian rebel group, but have always taken place in Ethiopia.
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