Dhaka-Sylhet rail link restored

Dhaka-Sylhet rail link was restored this evening following the fatal accident at Kulaura in which the Upaban Express was derailed last night, leaving four people dead.

The train route was restored around 6:00pm, Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan told parliament this evening.

“The accident didn’t occur due to the collapse of the bridge,” the minister said, adding that those who are saying that the bridge collapsed are wrong.

“The five compartments of the train got derailed before reaching the bridge,” he said.

The derailment occurred while changing lines, he added.

Earlier last night, Upaban Express, heading for Dhaka from Sylhet, fell into a canal after derailment, killing four people and leaving over a hundred others wounded.

It was reported that the incident took place on a bridge which had collapsed and the lines broken apart.

Bangladesh Railways has formed two separate bodies to investigate into the disaster, Shariful Alam, public relation officer of Railways Ministry, told Daily Star this morning.