Sonar Bangla Express suspends service after accident

The Sonar Bangla Express on the Dhaka-Chattogram route will not operate on Monday due to repair work after an accident.

The train service is expected to resume at 8 am on Apr 19, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

Five compartments of a Dhaka-bound passenger train of Sonar Bangla Express from Chattogram derailed after it hit a freight train from behind at Hasanpur Railway Station in Nangalkot around 6:30 pm on Sunday.

Nearly 50 people were injured in the accident, Nangalkot Station Master Jamal Hossain said on Sunday.

Seven compartments of the train could not be operated due to damage sustained in the accident, according to Shariful Alam, a spokesman for the railway ministry.

Passengers who have already booked tickets online can apply for a refund, the ministry said.

RAILWAY SUSPENDS FOUR OVER ACCIDENT

Bangladesh Railway has suspended four staff members, including a guard and a locomaster, over the Sonar Bangla Express accident.

It also formed a four-strong probe committee to investigate the accident.
Abdul Quader, a guard at Sonar Bangla Express, Md Jashim Uddin, locomaster, Md Mohsin, assistant locomaster, and Wahid, the signal maintainer at Hasanpur Station, have been temporarily suspended, the railway said in a statement.

The authorities asked the probe committee led by Chattogram Divisional Transport Officer Tarek Md Imran to submit their report in three working days.