Composition | A Train Accident

In Bangladesh, train accidents are very rare. Sometimes, landslides or floods can affect the normal operation of trains that need to cross streams. We don't have many railway lines, and the traffic on the few lines we do have is not heavy. So we don't often hear about train accidents in Bangladesh. However, I want to share the story of one train accident that I saw.

My town is located on the main railway line that goes from Chittagong to Dhaka. We have a railway station where all the important trains have to stop. One day, I went to the station to see the arrival of the mail train. When I got there, I noticed a goods train that had stopped on a side track. It seemed like it had stopped to let the faster mail train pass by.

A few minutes later, we saw the mail train approaching the platform. Everyone on the platform was excitedly watching it. But to everyone's horror, the train switched to the side track instead of continuing on the main track next to the platform. It was clear that the signalman had made a mistake after diverting the goods train to the side track. He had forgotten to adjust the tracks back for the mail train.

The mail train's engine crashed into the last wagon of the goods train. The wagon and the next three wagons were completely destroyed. The mail train's engine was badly damaged, derailed, and turned over. The three carriages right behind it were shattered into pieces. Many passengers in those carriages were crushed to death. Some people tried to jump out of the moving train to save themselves, but it was futile. They landed on the hard platform and died instantly. Several passengers in other compartments were severely shaken or injured, and many fainted out of fear.

There was chaos and noise everywhere. The mail train's driver had blown a loud whistle when he realized he was heading for the wrong platform. Now the engine was lying on its side, but the whistle didn't stop. We didn't know what had happened to the driver or the other train staff.

Doctors and nurses from the local hospital, as well as those in private practice, hurried to the scene to provide first aid to the injured. They were assisted by members of the Rokeya Ambulance Brigade and the Red Cross society. Ambulance cars started taking the badly wounded passengers to the hospital. The local fire brigade also arrived in full force to help in any way they could. All the police officers in the town, even those who were off-duty, were called in to take care of the belongings of the injured and the deceased, and to maintain law and order.

Later, a crane was brought in to lift the overturned engine. Unfortunately, nobody trapped inside it was alive.