A commuter train derailed for five hours in Tongi of Gazipur on Sunday, leaving four passengers dead and cutting off Dhaka's rail communications with other parts of the country. One of the deceased was identified as Shahadat Hossain,35. The derailment caused immense sufferings to passengers as a number of trains on different routes got stranded at different stations. Relief trains came and cleared the line from Dhaka and allowed service to resume, said Tongi Station Master Halimuzzaman.
The Ishakha Express, which was scheduled to leave Dhaka at 11:30am was delayed due to the accident, said Bangladesh Railway Additional Inspector General Md Mia Zahan. The train set off for Tongi at 5:30pm after the line was cleared.
Railway Eastern Region Chief Engineer Md Arifuzzaman leads the three-member committee that is to submit its report on the accident within three days.Police of Kamalapur Government Railway Police (GRP) said the Dhaka-bound commuter train from Jamalpur veered off the tracks in the area around 12:45pm, leaving three of its passengers dead on the spot and 30 others injured. The fire service recovered the three bodies from the scene and have handed them over to police. Their identities have yet to be confirmed.
Seven each of the injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Tongi General Hospital while the rest were given first aid. Among the injured, Shahadat died at the DMCH. The six others admitted to the hospital are Badol, 28, Shobuj, 40, Israfil, 12, Alamgir, 32, Badol, 50, and Md Sharif, 28. Meanwhile, Railways Minister Mujibul Haque visited the spot.
He told reporters after visiting the spot that the family of the each deceased will be given compensation while the government will ensure proper treatment of the injured,"Mazibul Hoque said that an initial investigation suggests that the signal man gave the warning signal too late, but that it is a matter for the probe to confirm.
A three-member investigation committee was formed to probe the train derailment.Director General of Bangladesh Railway Amzad Hossain said the probe committee, headed by Chandan Kanti Dey, Chief Signal Telecom of Bangladesh Railway, will submit their report within three days.The other members of the committee are Ariful Islam, (East) Chief engineer, Mizanur Rahman, Chief Technical engineer.
-AA Correspondent