Fire erupts on moving Chattala Express train in Sitakunda

A fire incident occurred in the power car of the Dhaka-bound passenger train Chattala Express near the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) gate area in Bhatiari union, Sitakunda, Chattogram.

Although no casualties were reported, the incident caused panic throughout the train. The incident took place at approximately 6:45 am on Thursday.

Upon receiving the news, a team from the fire service arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control. Before their arrival, officials moved the unaffected carriages to Faujdarhat Station.

Ahsan Habib, sub-officer of the Sitakunda fire service station, told Prothom Alo, "At around 7:00 am today (Thursday), we received information that a fire had broken out on the moving Chattala Express train. We went to the scene and saw that the power car (the electricity-generating carriage) was on fire. We quickly brought the fire under control. Before we arrived, train officials and members of the army, with the assistance of local people, had already detached the unaffected carriages and taken them to Faujdarhat station."

He could not immediately confirm the cause of the fire.

Local resident Bazlur Rahman told Prothom Alo, "Passengers on the train were shouting in panic. Hearing their cries, I, along with others from the area, went to the scene. Many people assisted in the rescue efforts."

Abul Kalam Azad, Sub-Inspector (SI) in charge of the Faujdarhat Railway police outpost, told Prothom Alo, "The Chattala Express train, consisting of 17 carriages, departed from Chattogram Station for Dhaka at around 6:30 am. At about 7:00 am, when the train reached the BMA gate area, a fire broke out in a power car located in front of the air-conditioned carriage ‘cha’."

He added, "An elderly passenger noticed the fire when he went to the washroom. After he informed others, they immediately signalled to stop the train. Once the train stopped, passengers disembarked. The officials then detached the affected power car and the ‘cha’ carriage and moved them to Faujdarhat station. Two replacement carriages will be brought from Chattogram and attached to the train before it departs for Dhaka. At present, train movement on the Dhaka-bound line at the BMA gate area remains suspended, while services continue normally on the alternative Chattogram-bound line."