CHITTAGONG, 14 October 2007 — Five people were killed and more than 100 wounded as an overcrowded train jumped the tracks in southern Bangladesh yesterday.
The Probhati Express — with many passengers riding atop the carriages — was bound for the capital, Dhaka, from the port city of Chittagong, 220 kilometers to the southeast, when five of the rear cars went off the rails.
The death toll is likely to rise as some of the injured are in critical condition. Police and railway sources said the accident occurred at 8:20 a.m. when five coaches of the train derailed at Botdia in Mirerswari sub-district.
Four passengers died on the spot and the fifth one succumbed to his injuries at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Bangladesh Railway spokesman Shafiqul Alam said at least 100 people were injured. Those wounded were taken to nearby hospitals, Alam said.
“Rescuers are still searching for more possible casualties,” he said.
“I don’t know what happened. The car suddenly fell off the track and landed on its side,” said Sohrab Hossain, a rooftop passenger who was hospitalized with a fractured hip and wrist.
The train was packed with about 1,000 people returning home for the three-day Eid holidays. It was not immediately clear what caused the derailment.
Investigators were on their way to the site about 40 kilometers north of Chittagong, Alam said.
Accidents — including collisions or derailments — are common on Bangladesh’s aging railway system. In June, a train collided with a bus that ignored a stop signal at a crossing in northern Tangail town, killing at least four people and injuring 30 others.
Khaleda’s Bank Accounts
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seized documents concerning two bank accounts of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
The seizure followed a ruling by a Dhaka court that allowed ACC to seize documents of the former premier’s bank accounts related to the GATCO container handling case.
The ACC now has the documents of Khaleda’s Sonali Bank and Prime Bank accounts to investigate the case, officials said yesterday.
Ex-Minister’s Property confiscated
Police in the northern Tangail district confiscated property of former minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party Vice President Shajahan Siraj in connection with a land grabbing case.
Shajahan Siraj, a former minister in the Khaleda’s BNP government is absconding along with members of his family.
Meanwhile, a court framed sedition charges against the Awami Swechchhasebak League President Bahauddin Nasim and fixed Oct. 30 for hearing the case.
