12 killed as train rams into bus in Cumilla; probes launched
The families of each deceased victim will receive Tk1,00,000 from the railways ministry, while the district administration has already announced Tk25,000.
At least 12 bus passengers were killed and around 20 others injured when a train rammed into a bus in Cumilla's Sadar South upazila early today (22 March), prompting the authorities to form three separate committees to probe the accident.
The accident occurred at around 2:45am in the Padua Bazar Bishwaroad area when a mail train coming from Chattogram collided with a Mamun Paribahan bus at a level crossing, killing seven men, three women and two children.
The deceased were later identified as Babul Chowdhury, 53; Laiju Begum, 26, and her daughters Khadija Akter, 6, and Mariam Akter, 4; Sohel Rana, 46; Md Sirajul Islam, 62, and his wife Kohinoor Begum, 55; Nazrul Islam Raihan, 33; Sayed Akter, 9; Zowad Biswas, 20; Fasiar Rahman, 26; and Tajul Islam, 68.
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Among them, four were from Lakshmipur, including three members of the same family; Laiju and her two daughters Khadija and Mariam from Kamalnagar upazila.
Hajera Akter, sister-in-law of Laiju, told The Business Standard that Laiju and her children were travelling to Lakshmipur to celebrate Eid.
After reaching Dhaka, her husband, a driver of Mamun Paribahan, put them on the Lakshmipur-bound bus before leaving for work elsewhere.
"Around 3am, we went to Lakshmipur station to receive them but couldn't reach them by phone. Later, when we contacted her husband, he learned that the bus had met with an accident. When we went to Cumilla hospital, we found out that my sister-in-law along with her children had died," she said.
Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam of the EPZ outpost under Sadar South Police Station said the bus was crossing the railway tracks when the high-speed train struck it with force, dragging the vehicle some distance towards the Jangalya-Kachua area.
The impact left the bus mangled and resulted in multiple fatalities on the spot.
Members of the Highway Police and fire service rushed to the scene and launched rescue operations.
State Minister for Railways Habibur Rashid Habib visited the accident site this afternoon, reports UNB.
He said two gatemen, Mehedi Hasan and Helal Uddin, have been suspended for negligence, and a departmental investigation will be conducted against the Cumilla railway station master.
The minister also said, "The government is assessing old and risky rail crossings nationwide to determine where overpasses or underpasses can be built to improve safety."
"Besides, plans are underway to introduce automated systems at level crossings so that barriers will automatically come down once a train enters a designated distance, reducing the risk of human error," he added.
Highlighting concerns over safety management, Habibur noted that many old rail gates lack proper supervision and gatemen which often leads to accidents. "The government is prioritising these problems to prevent future incidents."
"The families of each deceased victim will receive Tk1,00,000 from the Ministry of Railways, while the district administration has already announced Tk25,000," he said.
The state minister further said, "Local administration also announced Tk15,000 for those injured in the accident."
At Cumilla Medical College Hospital, emergency department official Md Borhan Uddin said 12 bodies were received for autopsy, while at least 15 injured individuals were given primary treatment and later released.
Services resume, probes launched
Train services resumed after the line was cleared, and traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway remains normal. Train movement resumed on the down line at 7:18am, according to a railways ministry statement.
Bangladesh Railway has formed two separate probe committees -- a divisional and a zonal panel -- to investigate the incident.
Separately, the district administration has formed a five-member committee led by an additional district magistrate.
