Lorry collides to engine of moving train on railway track, 1 dead

A lorry loaded with goods collided with the engine of a moving train after entering the railway track, leaving one person dead.

The train engine and one of its carriages overturned along with the lorry on the tracks. The incident occurred in the Sagorika area of Chattogram city early Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Shamsul Haque, 60. He was a resident of Didar Colony in the city’s Pahartali area. He worked as a security guard for shops in the locality. He died on the spot during the accident.

The train’s loco master, Monirul Islam and assistant loco master, Md. Alamgir, sustained injuries and received primary medical treatment.

Railway officials stated that rescue trains from Pahartali in Chattogram and Laksam in Cumilla were being dispatched to recover the derailed engine and carriage.

According to information from the railway control room, the freight train departed from the Chattogram Goods Port Yard (CGPY) for Dhaka at 4:00 am.

At around 4:20 am, while passing by the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Sagorika, the lorry entered the railway track and collided directly with the train’s engine.

As a result, the engine and one carriage derailed. Following the accident, the remaining freight carriages were brought back to the CGPY station.  

Railway officials have attributed the accident to the negligence of the gatekeeper.

Anisur Rahman, Divisional Transportation Officer of the Eastern Zone of Bangladesh Railway, told Prothom Alo at 7:00 am on Tuesday, “The gatekeeper was negligent. The gate was left open, allowing the speeding lorry to crash into the freight train’s engine.”