'Sorry,' says railway minister

Rail Minister Mujibul Haque speaking to the media at Kamalapur Railway Station after a freight truck hit a train and killed at least 2 people on Monday, December 29, 2014. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

Railway Minister Mujibul Haque apologised for the loss of lives in the collision between a freight truck and a train at Kamalapur Railway Station today.

“We are sorry,” he told reporters while briefing the media after visiting the spot.

“Accident is accident. We do not desire to witness this type of incidents. This incident was unwanted, unfortunate and tragic,” he said adding that the government will arrange treatment for the injured.

A freight truck violated signal to stop and rammed a passenger train at Inland Container Terminal inside Dhaka railway station killing two on the spot and injuring 27 others. Three more passengers died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital later.

Askd why there were no signal bars to stop vehicles during train passage in the area, the minister said the ICT area was “not a rail crossing.”

“We never had any close bars in this area because it is inside the station,” he said.