Habiganj fuel train derailment: Almost 80,000 litres of diesel lost to spillage, looting frenzy 

Nearly 80,000 litres of diesel were lost after six wagons of a tanker train derailed in Habiganj's Madhabpur upazila on Wednesday night, triggering a rush among locals to collect the spilled fuel until yesterday evening despite the deployment of security forces at the site.

Rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of the country, which was suspended following the accident, resumed after rescue operations and temporary repairs to a damaged bridge restored the link, allowing train services on the Sylhet-Dhaka and Sylhet-Chattogram routes to restart after about 22 hours of effort.

According to railway authorities, five of the six tankers were carrying a total of around 200,000 litres of diesel, with each holding about 39,000 litres, while one wagon was empty.

Officials said six wagons of the oil tanker train derailed near Mantala Railway Station while en route to Sylhet from Chattogram, with around 40% of the diesel in the affected tankers lost in the accident.

The derailment occurred at around 9:15pm on Wednesday in the Mantala area. Witnesses said six wagons left the tracks, one of which plunged into a roadside canal, while the others were thrown onto nearby land.

Excitement among locals 

Soon after the accident, large quantities of oil began spilling from the damaged containers, drawing crowds from surrounding areas.

Locals rushed to the scene with pots, buckets, jugs and other containers to collect the fuel. The rush began shortly after the derailment on Wednesday night and continued until yesterday evening, as of filing this report at 8pm.

Authorities described the situation as risky, as large numbers of people gathered near the damaged wagons to collect the oil.

Despite the deployment of the Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the looting could not be fully stopped.

Lieutenant Colonel Tanzilur Rahman, commander of the BGB's 55th Battalion in Habiganj, said the force had managed to recover around 1,000 litres of diesel.

"BGB personnel have been deployed since night to assist civil authorities, maintain law and order, and prevent theft of the spilled fuel," he said.

He added that BGB members collected drums and jerrycans on their own initiative and stored the recovered fuel. "This initiative helped prevent the waste of government property and also helped maintain order and security at the accident site," he said.

Rescue operations, damage

Railway officials said that by yesterday evening, not all the wagons had been recovered. 

Two bogies still remain unrecovered – one that has been moved from the track but not fully retrieved, and another that remains submerged in a canal – which authorities said will take more time to retrieve.

A rescue train sent from Akhaura reached the site early yesterday morning and began recovery operations. Railway engineers and rescue teams have been working to remove the damaged wagons, repair the rail line and restore the nearby bridge.

In the morning, railway sources said the derailment caused significant damage to the rail track and a nearby bridge, making it difficult to quickly restore normal train operations.

However, temporary repairs were carried out to restore the rail link, allowing train services on the Sylhet-Dhaka and Sylhet-Chattogram routes to resume after about 22 hours of work.

Madhabpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sohail Rana said no casualties or injuries had been reported in the incident.

Meanwhile, Railway authorities have formed a five-member investigation committee to determine the cause of the derailment.

ABM Kamruzzaman, divisional railway manager for the Dhaka division, said the committee would be led by a divisional transport officer and has been asked to submit its report within three working days.

"Possible causes such as excessive speed, track faults or any other factors are being examined," he said.

Mohsin Uddin, an engineering official at Mantala station, said fuel tanker trains usually run at low speeds.

"However, it is suspected that the train involved in the accident was travelling at a comparatively higher speed. The wheels may have slipped, which could have led to the derailment," he said.

Train services disrupted

The accident disrupted train services on the Sylhet-Dhaka and Sylhet-Chattogram routes, causing significant inconvenience to passengers.

Several trains were cancelled following the derailment. These included the Sylhet-Chattogram Udayan Express and the Dhaka-bound Upaban and Kalni Express from Sylhet, as well as the Sylhet-bound Paharika Express departing from Chattogram.

Md Monir Ahmed, station master at Noapara Railway Station, said at least three major trains were cancelled in the afternoon. "We have processed ticket refunds for the affected passengers," he added.