Wife dies in train accident on way home from husband’s funeral

The grief-stricken family of Muslim Mia, who died while working at a ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda upazila, Chattogram five days ago, was returning to their residence by a train after his funeral in his native district of Moulvibazar. But little did they know that this would be the last journey of Muslim’s wife, too.

Zaheda Begum along with 15 other passengers was killed and over 100 others injured in a fatal collision between two trains on Dhaka-Chattogram route near Mandbagh Railway Station in Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria district early Tuesday.

Her son Imon, 17, and daughters Sumi, 19, and Mim, 8, were also among the injured.

Hailing from Gazipur in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar, Muslim along with his family had been living in Kadamrasul area of Sitakunda upazila for the last 45 years. He used to work at a ship-breaking yard in the upazila.

He was killed as an iron plate collapsed on him while working at Chhoto Kumira on 7 November.

Victim’s son Sumon, who survived the accident unhurt as he was in another compartment of the train, said they buried his father at their village home.

He said the family members, including Muslim’s mother, boarded the Chattogram-bound ‘Udayan Express’ train around 11:30pm after holding Qulkhwani of his father.

“I lost my mother in the train collision which also left my siblings injured,” a distraught Sumon said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Witnesses and railway sources said Turna Nishita started for Mandbagh from Shashidal Railway Station around 2:48am. It was signalled to stop at the outer. At the same time, Udayan was approaching Mandbagh from Kasba Railway Station and it was signalled to enter line-1.

However, Turna Nishita ignored the signal and continued to run on the main line. It crashed into the middle of Udayan while it was entering the line-1.

Six compartments of the Chattogram-bound train were on the main line when the collision took place. Three compartments of Udayan got completely twisted in the collision.