Four persons, including two women, were killed and five others received serious injuries when a train rammed into a makeshift market on its rail tracks near Karwan Bazar Kitchen Market in the capital yesterday morning.
Witnesses and police said one of the victims, Noor Mohammad, 40, a banana trader, died on spot while Abul Malek, 60, a retired government official, and a 45-year-old housewife Monwara died while receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Another unidentified woman, aged around 25, died shortly after arriving at DMCH.
The illegal makeshift market, where many fish traders gather with their offerings at a cheap price, is usually set up on or beside the rail tracks on the area every morning where around 300 low and middle-income earners gather for a bargain.
“Around 8:45am, two trains – Karnaphuli Express, which was on its way to Chittagong from Kamalapur Railway Station and Jamuna Express, which came back from Jamalpur – were passing by the area from opposite directions,” said Abu Ahmed, a gateman of Karwan Bazar rail crossing who witnessed the incident.
“More than 200 people were near or on the rail track at that time. When the Karnaphuli Express whistled, people rushed to the other track to avoid an accident. However, I think many of them did not notice that the Jamuna Express was coming from the opposite direction on the other track,” he said.
The Jamuna train plunged through the track, killing one on the spot and injuring many. Locals and police rushed the injured to DMCH.
Fazlu Khan, 45, a fruit seller at Khilgaon Taltola market who was injured in the incident, told Dhaka Tribune, “Me and my 16-year-old nephew Rakib Khan were walking through the rail line. We were supposed to go to the kitchen market to buy fruits at wholesale rates.”
“We were passing the crowd on the rail line. As Karnaphuli was coming, we went to the other track but did not notice Jamuna was coming from opposite direction. Suddenly, I saw that the Jamuna Express was about to hit Rakib. I pushed him off the track and the train hit me instead,” he said while receiving treatment on a DMCH bed.
“I fell to the ground. I saw the train dragging those who could not leave the track to a few yards. They also fell on the ground beside the line but were critically injured,” he said adding that some people also sustained injuries while being in between the two lines.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, many of the injured alleged that they could have left the area unhurt if Jamuna had whistled on time. Beside, there was a sharp left turn on the line some 200 feet away from the accident spot for which they could not see Jamunato come.
“From that turn, the train took 5-6 seconds to reach the spot,” Fazlu said.
Abul Malek’s son Morshed Alam said his father was the director of Cash Crop Division of the Department of Agricultural Extension.
“Like every morning, he went to Karwan Bazar from our Tejturi Bazar residence for a morning walk. I think he was coming back home,” he said.
Malek’s family members identified his body in the afternoon at DMCH morgue following a day-long search at different hospitals in capital after they could not reach him on his mobile phone.
Meanwhile, doctors at DMCH said another victim, Sayed Hasan, 40, was in critical condition as he had suffered a brain haemorrhage following the accident.
“Other victims, namely Rakib Khan, 16, Fazlu Khan, 40, Salma Begum, 45, Parul Akhter, 40, were not out of danger. They have been kept under observation,” said Monsur Ahmed, IMO of Neurosurgery Department at DMCH.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, victims and locals said the makeshift market was set up by traders who live in the nearby Karwan Bazar slum.
“Every morning, more than 100 fish sellers come to trade there. Of the sellers, some are just collectors who get the leftover or rejected fishes from the adjacent wholesale fish market and sell those at a lower price,” said Mahmudullah, a resident in the area.
“My wife visits the market every morning from our Khilgaon residence as I have to go to work at that time,” said Md Kawser, husband of victim Monwara.
“She normally comes home by 10am. The market closes by noon,” he said adding they have been shopping from the makeshift market for the last seven years.
He also said some traders also sell local fruits and vegetables there.
According to the locals, one Mintu, an influential of the area, collects Tk100 from each vendor there. Law enforcers and local politician also reportedly receive a share of the collected money.
Contacted, Kamalapur Government Railway Police OC Abdul Majid said police often launch drives to drive away the sellers.
Denying allegations of collecting tolls from the makeshift market, he added: “They soon return there after we evict them.”
