Madhabpur (Habiganj) Correspondent:
A freight train carrying oil from Chittagong to Sylhet derailed in the Mantala area of Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj, and at least 6 coaches fell into a canal. In this incident, rail communication with Sylhet, including Dhaka-Sylhet, across the country has been completely suspended.
The incident took place last night near the Mantala railway station. After the accident, a lot of oil was spilled from the train’s tanker in the surrounding area, which caused concern among the locals. Eyewitness Mosharraf Mia said that initially some people tried to collect the oil, but later the law enforcement agencies came and brought the situation under control.
Railway sources said that heavy equipment and cranes are being used to recover the derailed coaches. The engineering team of Akhaura Railway has started repairing the damaged railway line. However, it is not yet possible to say for sure when train movement will return to normal.
Station Master of Mantala Station Ataur Rahman Gani said that the railway’s expert team is working at the scene and efforts are being made to partially reopen the line by the afternoon.
Meanwhile, there is still uncertainty about the cause of the accident. Initially, it is believed that the weakness of the railway line or the nearby bridge could be the cause of the incident. However, there has been a demand for an investigation to uncover the real cause.
Currently, rescue work is ongoing and work is underway to assess the extent of the damage.