A locomotive and three bogies of a Chittagong-bound train derailed in Mirsarai yesterday, allegedly after miscreants removed fastening clips from the railway tracks.
The alleged act of sabotage caused rail communications between Chittagong and the rest of the country to be suspended for around 12 hours, until the rail links were finally restored yesterday afternoon.
Around 4am, the locomotive and three bogies of Mymensingh Express – alternatively known as Nasirabad Express – derailed near Ambaria in Chittagong’s Mirsarai upazila. At least 10 people, including the driver of the train, were injured in the incident.
Yusuf Chowdhury, the driver, and bhis assistant Kamal Hossain have been admitted to the Chittagong Railway Hospital, while the others are receiving treatment at different local medical facilities.
The train was derailed as the lines became loose after miscreants removed pandrol clips – heavy-duty clips that are used to fasten the rails to the underlying baseplate – from the railway tracks, said Mozammel Haque, general manager for Bangladesh Railway’s eastern zone.
A four-member committee has been formed by Bangladesh Railway to investigate the alleged act of sabotage.
Arabindu Sarker, in-charge of Sitakundu Government Railway Police, however blamed the slackness of patrolling Ansar personnel, which he claimed had allowed miscreants to carry out the sabotage.
Meanwhile, two relief trains from Comilla and Chittagong worked throughout the morning to clear out the derailed locomotive and bogies. At around 4pm, train movement resumed on the up line towards Dhaka, while connection on the down line was restored later in the evening.
The derailment also caused train schedule on Chittagong-bound routes to collapse in the morning. Two Dhaka-bound trains could not leave Chittagong Rail Station because of suspended service, while Mohanagar, Sagarika and Subarna Express trains were also forced to be delayed.