17 killed as train rams bus in Tangail

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Seventeen persons were killed and 25 others injured in a fatal accident early yesterday when a Dhaka-bound intercity train rammed a passenger bus on a level crossing in Kalihati upazila of Tangail.

Of the dead, 14 were cloth traders from Rampur and Mominnagar villages under Balla union of the upazila. The three others were the driver and two helpers of the bus.

Riaz Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Kalihati Police Station, told The Daily Star that 44 cloth traders from Balla union were on the bus headed for Karatia market in Tangail Sadar.

The bus left Ballabazar around 2:00am. The intercity Ekata Express from Dinajpur hit the bus around 3:05am when the bus was crossing Elenga Rajabari level crossing on the Mymensingh-Tangail Highway between the Ibrahimabad and Tangail stations.

Sixteen passengers of the bus including the driver and helpers died on the spot.

Locals and injured passengers said there was no barrier or gateman at the level crossing at the time of accident.

The train did not stop after the accident, witnesses said.

Patrol police, locals and fire brigade immediately started a rescue operation recovering the injured and sent them to Tangail General Hospital where another bus passenger Mohammad Alauddin, 45, succumbed to his injuries.

The other deceased are cloth traders Dulal Miah, 40, Shafiqul Islam, 30, Saiful Islam, 20, Faruq Hossain, 30, Mohammad Solaiman, 40, Riazul Islam, 35, Monir Hossain, 26, Golam Hossain, 22, Fazlur Rahman Fazal, 35, Fazal Haque, 40, and Dudu Miah, 35, of Rampur village, and Altaf Hossain, 30, and Faruq Miah, 28, of Mominnagar village, driver Abdus Samad, 40, of Kamarthi and his son and also helper of the bus Al Amin, 18, and another helper Korban Ali, 20, of Saturia village in Kalihati upazila.

Of the injured, 21 were admitted to Tangail General Hospital. Five critically injured of them were later sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. They are cloth traders Liakat, Shamsul, Joad Ali, Ibrahim and Kashem.

Hearing the news of the accident, a deep shock gripped the inhabitants of Rampur, Mominnagar and adjacent villages in Kalihati upazila. Relatives and family members of the dead cloth traders burst into tears at the loss of their dear ones.

Kalihati police said a process was initiated to hand over the dead bodies to family members and relatives without post mortem.

Shafiqul Islam, 30, a passenger who received mild injuries, told The Daily Star that there was no barrier at the level crossing and most of the passengers of the bus were asleep at the time of accident.

The on-duty gateman, Habibur Rahman, was also asleep when the accident took place and he fled the area after locals woke him up, said a witness.

Asim Talukdar, divisional signal and telecom engineer of Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star that following the accident they could not contact gateman Habib despite repeated attempts over telephone. “We are investigating the matter,” he added.

Additional Director General of Bangladesh Railway Rafiquzzaman visited the spot and suspended the gateman.

Bangladesh Railway formed a four-member probe body led by Additional COPS (West/Rajshahi) M Abdul Awal Bhuiyan to investigate the incident. The committee will have to submit its report within three days, finding out the reasons behind the accident, determining responsibilities and suggesting measures to prevent further accidents.

Tangail district administration also formed a two-member probe body with Additional District Magistrate M Toriqul Islam and Additional Deputy Commissioner (general) Yousuf Ali.

Bangladesh Railway Director General Belayet Hossain, Tangail Deputy Commissioner Akhter Ali Sarkar, Superintendent of Police Abdul Mannan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Yousuf Ali, a military team led by Maj Siraj and Maj Wadud from the 98 Composite Brigade of Jamuna Cantonment, and Kalihati Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saifullah-hil-Azim visited the spot yesterday.

Communications Secretary Dr Mahbubur Rahman visited the spot and the injured people at the Tangail General Hospital yesterday evening and expressed his deep shock over the incident.

Earlier in the afternoon, Telecommunications Secretary Iqbal Mahmud visited the spot.

A case was filed with GRP Police Station in this regard.

Meantime, Kalihati police handed over the dead bodies to family members and relatives.

Of the dead, 10 cloth traders from Rampur village were buried at Rampur graveyard, police said, adding that the bodies of four other cloth traders were buried at Darikhashila graveyard in the upazila.

The bodies of the driver and helpers of the bus were also handed over to their family members in Kamarthi and Satutia villages of the same upazila, police said.

Aslam Ahmed, chairman of Balla Union Parishad, told The Daily Star that it was a heart-rending scene when the bodies of the 14 cloth traders of the union were brought to their homes in the afternoon.

Most of the dead were the only earners for these families, he said. “Rail authorities gave assurance that the families of the victims would be given compensation after an administrative investigation,” he added.

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