CUMILLA, Mar 17: At least 30 people were injured when nine compartments of the Mymensingh-bound Bijoy Express went off the tracks near the Hasanpur Rail Station around 1:35pm on Sunday, according to Nangalkot Police Station chief Debashish Chowdhury.
Five of the injured are in critical condition. Initial reports suggest the accident occurred due to the failure of a lock attached to the trains engine.
Railway connectivity between Chattogram and the rest of Bangladesh has been disrupted following the derailment of a passenger train in Cumillas Nangalkot Upazila.
Trains operating on the route are stranded at various stations as a result of the derailment. "There have been no fatalities. Railway and local police are responding to the situation," Debashish said.
The train carriages derailed with a loud noise and lay scattered across the tracks, halting service on the Dhaka-Chattogram route, Nangalkot Railway Station Master Jamal Hossain said.
Locals immediately began rescuing passengers, with many of those injured receiving first aid on site.
Murad Ullah Bahar, chief of Laksam Railway Police Station, also confirmed that no deaths were reported in the incident. "We are on our way to the site. The railway authorities will investigate the cause of the accident."
An official from Laksam Railway Junction Station, who wished to remain anonymous, said that rescue trains from Akhaura and Chattograms Pahartali were en route to the scene.
Service on the Chattogram-bound line will resume once the rescue trains arrive, after which the remaining rescue efforts will continue.
