Advisory: With identity of some injured and details; Changed dateline
Narsingdi, Nov 23 (BDNEWS) –Over one hundred people were injured as two passengers' trains collided head on Tuesday night near Amirganj railway station, 20 kilometre off the Raipura upazila in Narsingdi district.
The collision took place at about 10.25 pm between Upakul Express and Noakhali Express which were carrying over 1500 passengers.
Rail communications between Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Noakhali remained suspended till early Wednesday due to the accident.
Golam Mostafa, assistant director (operation) of the Bangladesh Railway in Dhaka told the BDNEWS Tuesday night, "The accident was serious and we are yet to know the details."
He, however, could not say the cause behind the accident. The Bangladesh Railway, however, formed a four-member committee to probe the incident.
"Noakhali Express was standing at the Amirganj rail station on way to Noakhali while the driver of Upakul Express towards Dhaka allegedly ignored the signal and ran on the same line of Noakhali Express ensuing the collision, he said.
All employees of Amirganj station fled soon after the accident keeping the railway control room in the dark.
Among the injured, seven were identified as Harun, 50, M Sakhawat Hossain, 40, M Sobhan Mia, 30, and M Kawser Mia, 28, of Comilla, Jewel Ahmed, 40, of Brahmanbaria, Oliul Huq Kiron, 26, of Siraganj and Nayan, 35, of Raipura in Narsingdi.
BDNEWS Narsingdi Correspondent Benjir Ahmed Benu from the Amirganj rail station informed Dhaka office that the panicked passengers of both the trains were standing at the station while huge number of police kept the trains cordoned-off.
He said, the police on duty could not tell anything whether anyone was dead.
On the other hand, a hydraulic toll train from Akhaura Railway Junction and another crane from Dhaka rushed to the spot to take away the damaged trains.
According to witnesses, the 1st compartment to the engine of the mail train Noakhali Express was damaged seriously and most of the passengers sitting inside that bogie received serious injuries.
Witnesses said the relief trains took the Upakul Express to the Amirganj Railway station first and the bogies, excepting the engine and damaged bogie, of Noakhali Express was taken away later.
But, the engine and damaged bogie of Noakhali Express could not be taken away as it was damaged seriously.
The rescuers, however, said at about 4 am that they would be able to make free the railway track immediately.
Thy also assured that the communications between Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Noakhali would resume before the morning.
BDNEWS/1511 hrs
