Dhaka metro services suspended after two climb onto roof

MRT police control room says a child was spotted on the roof and efforts are under way to bring them down

The entire Dhaka metro network has been suspended since 8:15pm after two individuals climbed onto the roof of a metro train.

Multiple trains along the line have been stranded as a result on Sunday.

A statement from the metro authority confirmed, “Operations are temporarily halted at Secretariat station due to two people on the train roof.”

The MRT police control room reported that a child was seen on the roof, and teams are attempting to bring the child down safely.

The metro trains are electric and carry thousands of volts, making rooftop access extremely dangerous.

Passenger Ishrat Jahan described the incident, saying: “After 8:15pm, the train between Farmgate and Bijoy Sarani suddenly stopped. Announcements were repeatedly made to keep passengers calm.”

A notice from the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-6) said, "At the Secretariat Station, two individuals climbed onto the space between two cars, and as a result, rail operations were suspended at 8:05pm.

“No trains will run for the remainder of the day. The metro authority sincerely apologises for the inconvenience caused to passengers,” read a notice signed by Ahsan Ullah Sharifi, a deputy project director of DMTCL.

Earlier, DMTCL said one of the two remained on the train while the other disembarked and fled, and authorities are currently searching for him.

A video posted on a Facebook page named “Md Ali” shows a man wearing a jacket and jeans sitting on the roof of a metro train, while a police officer attempts to bring him down with a ladder.

The man on the roof threatened to pull the metro wire, prompting screams from passengers at the station, the clip showed.

The video captures the man on the roof signalling police to back off, while another man climbs between two metro carriages, seizes the child, and pulls him to safety.