A 30 second wait could have saved 17 lives: Bhairab station master
At 3:45pm yesterday, a container train, approaching from the opposite direction, collided with the Dhaka-bound Egarosindhur Express train just outside the Bhairab railway station minutes after it had departed.
A mere 30 seconds.
That's all the freight train's locomaster had to wait to avert the disaster which caused the deaths of 17 people.
Speaking to The Business Standard on Tuesday (24 October), Kishoreganj's Bhairab Railway Station Master Md Yousuf said, "The accident unfolded as a result of the container train driver's reckless attempt to enter the station without waiting for the signal."
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At 3:45pm yesterday, a container train, approaching from the opposite direction, collided with the Dhaka-bound Egarosindhur Express train just outside the Bhairab railway station minutes after it had departed. The accident left 17 dead and more than a hundred injured.
Recounting the chain of events, Station Master Yusuf said the Egarosindhur Express had set off for Dhaka after receiving a signal from the station.
However, the freight train's driver, in grave violation of the signal, attempted to enter the station without waiting for clearance, he said.
To enter the station, a train must pass two signals: the outer signal and the home signal.
The container train had been instructed to wait beyond the outer signal, he explained.
The container train would have received its clearance to proceed once the Egarosindhur Express had switched to the other track.
However, the driver of the container train failed to adhere to these safety measures, and tragedy struck.
"If only the freight train had waited for those crucial 30 seconds, this entire accident might have been averted," Yusuf said.
In the wake of this horrific event, railway authorities took immediate action by suspending the driver, assistant driver, and guard of the container train.
Four separate investigative committees have been established over the matter.
The devastating impact crushed and derailed three bogies of the Egarosindhur Express.
The aftermath saw various parties, including the railway ministry, police, fire service, and BGB, launching an immediate rescue operation to save as many lives as they could.
