‘Ignoring signal’ caused Fouzdarhat train mishap

The oil-carrying freight train jumped the tracks at Sitakunda’s Fouzdarhat because the driver entered the mail line ignoring the signal, railway officials say.

According to them, the accident happened at 6am on Wednesday when the train was on its way to the Dohazari Peaking Power Plant.

Rail links between Chittagong and the rest of Bangladesh remained cut off for seven hours due to the accident.

Chittagong Rail Station Manager Md Abul Kalam Azad told bdnews24.com that five wagons and the train’s engine derailed, blocking two tracks.

Four wagons turned upside down.

Bangladesh Railway East Zone Chief Engineer Abdul Hye told bdnews24.com: “We’re primarily suspecting that the accident took place as the driver entered the mail line ignoring signal.”

He said train’s driver Uttam Kumar Bhattacharya and his assistant Bidar Ali were suspended on charges of negligence.

Chittagong’s rail communications with Dhaka and Sylhet resumed at around 1:15pm following removal of the oil wagons from one of the tracks.

Hye said two committees had been formed to investigate the accident. They will determine the cause of the accident and the losses, he added.

Railway’s Divisional Transport Officer Zakir Hossain will head the four-strong divisional-level committee.

Other members of the committee are Mechanical Engineer Md Kamaruzzaman, Divisional Engineer-1 Abdur Rahman and Divisional Signal and Telecommunication Engineer Sushil Halder.

Railway East Zone Chief Engineer Abdul Hye will head another high-level three-member committee.

East Zone Additional Chief Operating Superintendent Moksudul Arefin said the committees had been asked to submit their reports in shortest possible time.