Train derails in Habiganj
Its engine catches fire; Sylhet's rail links with Dhaka, Ctg remained snapped for over nine hours till 7:30pm
Sylhet's rail communications with Dhaka and Chittagong remained snapped for over nine hours from 10:00am yesterday after a Dhaka-bound train derailed in Habiganj, causing sufferings to hundreds of passengers.
Train services resumed around 7:30pm after the railway authorities cleared the railway line and rescued the derailed train around 6:00pm, said Harunur Rashid, chief mechanical engineer of Bangladesh Railway (east zone).
Dhaka-bound Parabat Express from Sylhet derailed at Noapara Railway Station in Madhabpur upazila around 10:00am. The train engine caught fire as the fuel tank leaked after the derailment, rail officials said.
On information, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire. Senior railway officials visited the spot and formed a probe body, headed by deputy railway manager of Dhaka, to investigate the incident, Rashid told The Daily Star.
Moazzem Haque, master of Noapara railway station, said some passengers suffered minor injuries while getting down from the train hurriedly after the accident.
The injured were given first aid at Madhabpur Upazila Health Complex. The accident left some trains stranded at different stations, Moazzem added.
Sumona Bosak, a passenger of the train, said she was scheduled to sit for an exam for a private job in Dhaka yesterday evening. “Due to the accident, I won't be able to sit for the exam,” she said, expressing frustration.