Suspected Muslim rebels bombed a maintenance train in southern Thailand on Sunday and then shot railway workers and police traveling inside, injuring at least 19 people in one of the most highly coordinated attacks in recent months. The ambush came just three days after a Buddhist monk and three soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack and a week after two separate bombings in the area killed one person and wounded 13 others. The one-car armored maintenance train was making a routine inspection of track after leaving the Sungai Kolok district station in Narathiwat province when two bombs exploded, tearing the track apart and overturning the carriage, police Lt. Nathiwat Deekaew said. The 20-kilogram (44-pound) devices, triggered by wires, blew up almost simultaneously under the train. About 10 meters (35 feet) of track was destroyed by the blasts, Nathiwat said. Insurgents hiding nearby then shot at the people on board the train, he said. It was unclear how many people were traveling on the train, but at least 19 were injured, including 11 police officers and eight railway workers, he said. A gunfight ensued but ended after about 10 minutes. There were no reports of rebel casualties.
