List of rail accidents in Bangladesh explained

The following is a list of some railway accidents, incidents and disasters in Bangladesh.

1985

• January 13: Parbatipur-bound Simanta Express caught fire. Passengers tried to stop the train by pulling the communication cord, but the driver did not stop the train, apparently because robbers operate in the area. Twenty-seven people died and at least 58 were injured due to the fire.^[1]

1987

• May 17: On the metre-gauge Akhaura–Laksam–Chittagong line of the Assam Bengal Railway, an express train derailed between Kamalasagar/Kasba and Nayanpur and cars rolled down to an embankment. Thirty-six people died and 58 were injured.

1989

• January 15: A northbound mail train collided head-on with a Chittagong-bound express train at Gazipur District, due to the railway staff not knowing how to operate the new signal system. Several cars rolled off an embankment into a rice paddy. Due to the Bishwa Ijtema religious festival at Tongi, there were over 2,000 people in total on both trains, with many riding on roofs or between coaches. At least 170 died and 400 were injured.
• 02/02/1989: The derailment of a passenger train near Chittagong District resulted in 13 deaths and 200 injured people.

2013

• April 1: the train TURNA NISHITHA on 1st April 2013 which started from Kamlapur Railway Station Dhaka and towards Chittagong. It started 25 minutes late from its scheduled time at (11:30pm). When it reached Comilla Station it was about to dawn. 15 minutes after leaving Comilla Station. The train derailed because of a sabotage.

2014

• April 13: At around 03:20 a.m., a running Dhaka-bound Ekota Express collided head-on with a standing Lalmonirhat-bound Lalmoni Express at Ullapara railway station, Sirajganj District. Three coaches of Ekota Express and one coach of Lalmoni Express were mangled. A total of seven coaches veered off the tracks. At least two people died and 50 more were injured.^{[2] [3]}
• July 9: At 6:30 a.m., a freight train carrying furnace oil to a power plant from Patenga the train derailed near Faujdarhat Junction railway station in Chittagong, and leaked around 21255impgal of crude. Six wagons of the train derailed and oil from three of the wagons flowed into a nearby canal. Udayan Express from Sylhet narrowly escaped a fatal accident on the route with that train.^[4]

2016

• January 10: A locomotive of a Brahmanbaria-bound commuter train derailed at Arshinagar, Narsingdi District. Two died and 10 were injured.
• September 14: At around 11:00 a.m., a container freight train with locomotive 2037 derailed in Faujdarhat, Chittagong. The train driver and the assistant driver were injured.^[5]
• October 7: Locomotive no. 2933, which was one of the newest locomotives of class 2900, caught fire and derailed with several coaches of Parabat Express near Noapara railway station in Noyapara Upazila, Habiganj District. The driver cab and electrical cabinet of the locomotive were destroyed in the fire, and the locomotive had to undergo heavy repairs.^[6]

2018

• March 9: Five minutes before reaching Chandpur railway station, power car no. 8358 of Meghna Express caught fire due to overheating of the generator. The railway staffs were able to extinguish fire completely before the situation could go worse. There were no deaths but almost 30 passengers were injured as they sought to escape the train.^[7]
• March 15: The connecting portion of Ga and Gha coaches of Chittagong-bound Subarna Express caught fire at about 3:30 p.m. in Mohakhali Amtali area near Banani railway station, Dhaka. But the reason for catching fire is not known. Later, railway workers, passengers and firefighters extinguished the fire. No casualties occurred.^[8]
• April 15: Five coaches of a train derailed at Tongi, Gazipur District. Five died and 50 injured as a result.

2019

• June 23: At around 11:40 p.m., several coaches of Dhaka-bound Upaban Express veered off the tracks after a culvert over the Barochhara Canal broke down, two-hundred yards off Baramchal railway station in Kulaura Upazila, Moulvibazar District. Two coaches fell into the canal and one overturned. At least five people died and hundreds were injured.^{[9] [10]} See: Kulaura train accident.
• July 15: At least 10 people on a microbus were killed in a collision with a Dhaka-bound train at an unmanned level crossing in Ullahpara Upazila, Sirajganj District.^[11]
• November 12: At around 3 a.m., A Dhaka-bound rammed the Chittagong-bound Udayan Express at Mondobhag railway station in Kasba Upazila, Brahmanbaria District. At least 16 people died and 73 were injured. Two coaches of Udayan Express were damaged.^{[12] [13]}
• November 14: At around 2 p.m., a locomotive and seven coaches (including a power car) of Rangpur-bound Rangpur Express derailed at Ullapara railway station area in Sirajganj District. Fire broke out in three coaches. Nobody was killed but at least 25 passengers were injured when they hurried to get off the coaches due to the fire.^{[14] [15]}

2020

• November 7: At around 04:30 a.m., A Dhaka-bound Nilsagar Express collided with a bus stuck on a level crossing in Gazipur District. The bus got stuck with the locomotive of the train and was dragged around one or half of kilometer. Two died and at least five were injured.^{[16] [17] [18]}
• December 6: At around 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. near Shahjibazar railway station of Habiganj District, five wagons of a Sylhet-bound oil-carrying train from Chittagong derailed and the train fell off from the track and caught fire.^[19]

2022

• July 27: Eleven people died in a collision between a microbus and a train in Mirsorai, Chattogram

2023

• October 23: At least 18 people were killed when a passenger train and a freight train collided outside Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, during a busy holiday season. The accident, in the Kishoreganj district, 45 miles east of the capital. Over 100 others were wounded. Sadiqur Rahman Sabuj, the chief administrative officer of Bhairab, where the crash occurred, said the passenger train was trying to switch tracks en route to Dhaka when a freight train headed in the opposite direction struck its last two coaches, which were packed with 300 passengers. “As Bangladesh is celebrating Durga Puja, many are moving from city to city,” Mr. Sadiqur said, referring to a Hindu festival. “The death toll may rise further.”^[20]

2024

• The Benapole Express caught on fire before the Bangladesh 2024 elections.

References

1. Web site: 2019-11-12. Deadly train crashes in Bangladesh at a glance. Prothom Alo.
2. News: 2014-04-13. 2 die in Sirajganj train collision, 3 suspended. Prothom Alo. 2020-11-11.
3. News: 2014-04-14. Running train hits waiting Express 2 killed, 40 injured. The New Nation. 2020-11-11.
4. Web site: 2014-07-10. Oil-laden train derails in Ctg. 2020-11-12. The Daily Star.
5. Web site: 2016-09-14. 2 injured in Ctg rail engine derailment. 2020-11-10. Prothom Alo.
6. Web site: 2016-10-07. Parabat Express engine catches fire. 2020-11-12. Daily Sun.
7. Web site: 2018-03-09. চাঁদপুরে মেঘনা এক্সপ্রেস ট্রেনে আগুন : আহত ৩০. Fire at Meghna Express train at Chandpur : 30 injured. 2020-11-14. Jugantor. bn.
8. Web site: 2018-03-15. আগুন নেভানোর পর সুবর্ণ এক্সপ্রেস চট্টগ্রামের পথে. Subarna Express on its way to Chattogram after extinguishing fire. 2020-10-23. RTV NEWS. bn.
9. Web site: 2019-06-25. Why did Upaban Express go off the tracks?. 2020-11-10. Dhaka Tribune.
10. Web site: 2019-06-24. Bangladesh: 5 died as four train coaches derail, hundreds injured. 2020-11-10. India Today.
11. Web site: 2019-07-16. 10 killed as train hits microbus. 2020-11-12. The Daily Star.
12. Web site: 2019-11-13. 16 killed as intercity train crashes into another in Brahmanbaria. 2020-11-10. The Daily Star.
13. Web site: 2019-11-14. Brahmanbaria train accident: Loco master of Turna Nishita admits negligence. 2020-11-10. Dhaka Tribune.
14. Web site: 2019-11-14. Now Rangpur Express goes off the rails in Sirajganj. 2020-11-10. Dhaka Tribune.
15. Web site: 2019-11-14. Railway engine, 7 coaches of Rangpur Express derail. 2020-11-10. Prothom Alo.
16. News: 2020-11-07. Accident halts Dhaka's rail link with northern districts after 1 killed. Prothom Alo. 2020-12-01.
17. News: 2020-11-07. Two killed in train -bus collision. Bangladesh Post. 2020-12-01.
18. News: 2020-11-07. 2 killed, 3 injured in Gazipur train-bus collision. The Business Post. 2020-12-01.
19. News: মালবাহী ট্রেনে আগুন, সিলেটের সঙ্গে রেল যোগাযোগ বন্ধ. bn. Fire at freight train, rail communication closed with Sylhet. Jugantor.
20. Web site: 2023-10-24. Another man dies, taking death toll from Bhairab train accident to 18. 2023-10-26. bdnews24.com.

Sources

• Book: Semmens, Peter . 1994 . Railway Disasters of the World: Principal Passenger Train Accidents of the 20th Century . Patrick Stephens Ltd . 1-85260-323-2.