21 Killed, 20 Injured After Bomb Explodes Under Train in Algeria

A bomb exploded under a moving passenger train in Algeria on Friday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 20.

It was the latest in a series of attacks blamed by authorities on Muslim insurgents trying to disrupt upcoming elections.

The 8 a.m. blast near Gue de Constantine, about 10 miles south of the capital, Algiers, destroyed the side of one rail car and partially derailed the train.

One witness said the explosion caused a 21-foot crater and suspended traffic.

Security forces said a homemade bomb hidden under the tracks caused the explosion. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The train runs between Algiers and Blida, about 30 miles south. Insurgents have a foothold in the area around Blida, the site of Algeria’s most important army garrison and several recent massacres.

Friday’s attack appeared to be aimed at derailing the June 5 elections and defying official assurances that security forces had gained the upper hand in the battle with Muslim insurgents.

A rebellion aimed at toppling the government has been underway since the army canceled a January 1992 parliamentary vote to stop the rise to power of the Islamic Salvation Front.

At least 60,000 people have died in the fighting.

The June vote will be the first parliamentary elections since then. Parties based on religion are barred from running in the elections.

The train attack was a harsh reminder of rebels’ ability to use bombs and strike in Algiers, home to about 3 million people.

Car bombs brought mass carnage earlier this year but had recently been eclipsed by the horror of night raids on isolated villages and the massacre of villagers.

Two raids this week killed at least 135 people.