ANOTHER TRAIN SABOTAGED IN PALESTINE

Grey River Argus, 2 April 1948, Page 3

ANOTHER TRAIN SABOTAGED IN PALESTINE

100 Casualties, But, British Soldiers Escape JERUSALEM, March 31 Forty persons were killed and 60 injured when the Cairo-Haifa train*'was blown up by an electrically-detonated land-mine near JBen Yamina in Northern Palestine. The army authorities report that 40 British soldiers were on tlm train, but none has yer. neen reported among the casualties. It is officially stated that the casualties were mostly Arabs. The explosion separated the engine from the rest of the train and pushed it 100 yards along the track. It also derailed four coacnes and ripped up the permanent way. The train, wmch was the express from Cairo to Haifa, was . running through the orange-growing belt near the Ben Yamina settlement, 24 miles south of Haifa.

Jewish sources said that Arabs fired on Jews who’ went to the scene of the explosion, forcing them to retire.

Uninjured passengers helped the rescuers to carry tne dead and injured from the shattered coaches and laid them alongside the track. British military ambulances took the injured to the Haifa hospital. Jewish sources said tne Stern Gang blew up the train, adding that it is believed that most of the dead were members ox the Arab Liberation Army. Several hundred Arabs attacked a Jewish convoy from Tel Aviv, which was attempting to take food to the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The Arabs claimed they surrounded the convoy and killed and wounded many Jews in a prolonged battle.