Karnaphuli Express derails in Cumilla, railway engineer suspended over alleged negligence  

Several hundred passengers narrowly escaped a major disaster after four coaches of the Karnaphuli Express derailed near Naoti Railway Station in Nangalkot, Cumilla, today (21 October), with the train's locomaster and station masters alleging that the railway's engineering department had failed to properly clear the line.

The accident occurred at around 12:30pm after the train passed Naoti station, disrupting services on the Dhaka-bound line and leaving several passengers injured.

Later in the evening, Senior Sub-Assistant Engineer Md Golam Sarwar of Bangladesh Railway's Feni office was temporarily suspended over alleged negligence.

Farhan Mahmud, head of a four-member probe committee formed after the incident and Chattogram Divisional transport officer, disclosed the information while inspecting the rescue operation yesterday.

Several attempts to contact Joydeb Shil, deputy executive engineer at Bangladesh Railway's Feni office, for comment on the allegations of negligence were unsuccessful as he did not answer the calls.

On the incident, Train locomaster Moazzem Hossain said he had received clearance to enter the line but saw a red flag shortly before the derailment.

"I was not given any signal from Laksam station or anywhere else. I entered the line after getting clearance. Suddenly, I saw a red flag. The train was only 100 yards away. By the time I applied the brakes, the coaches derailed," he said.

Nangalkot Railway Station Master Jamal Hossain said, "We were not informed by the engineering department. That is why we gave the line clearance."

Laksam Railway Station Master Omar Faruk also alleged that the engineering section had failed to notify station officials. "We were not informed by the engineering section either. So, after receiving line clearance from Nangalkot station, we also gave the green signal. As per the rules, the engineering department is supposed to inform the station masters at Laksam and Nangalkot. They did not do so," he said.

Several passengers said they suffered minor injuries to different parts of their bodies, including their heads, while trying to get off the train.

Nahida Akter, a passenger, said, "We suddenly heard a loud noise, and then our coach derailed, causing passengers to fall against one another. Several passengers got trampled."

Nazma Akter, another passenger, said, "After the accident, my daughter was thrown onto the floor of the carriage. She was then trampled on and suffered severe pain. She also vomited several times."

Nangalkot Railway station master said train movement on the up line was suspended for half an hour, while services on the down line remained operational.

He said a rescue train from Laksam took the coaches that had not derailed to Nangalkot station. The train left for Dhaka at 6:30pm, leaving the four derailed coaches at the site. Efforts were underway to recover them.