4 killed as miscreants’ torch train in city

At least four passengers, including a woman and her three-year-old son, were killed as miscreants set three coaches of Mohanganj Express on fire near Tejgaon Railway Station area in the city this morning.

Two of the deceased were identified as Nadira Akter Poppy (35) and her son Md Yasin (3).

The fire incident took place around 5:04am, Media Cell Official of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters Shahjahan Sikder told BSS.

He said they recovered four charred bodies from the train and sent them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

The age of the two unidentified bodies is supposed to be between 30 and 40, he said, adding that another person with severe burn injuries was rushed to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

Three firefighting units went to the scene and doused the fire around 6:45am, Shahjahan said.

Duty officer at Fire Service and Civil Defence control room Lima Khanom said the train was coming to Dhaka from Netrokona.

The train had a stoppage at Tejgaon station and as soon as the train started moving, the fire originated from the rear part of the coach.

Talking to journalists, Nadira’s brother Habibur Rahman Habib said they were from Baruna village of Netrokona Sadar upazila.

But Nadira’s family live in Dhaka as her husband Mizanur runs a hardware business in Karwan Bazar, he added.

Nadira and her two sons went to their village home on December 3 and today, they were returning to Dhaka by Mohanganj Express, Habib said.

He was accompanying Nadira and her two sons Yasin, and Fahim, 8, during the journey.

Habibur said he managed to get off the train with Fahim, but Yasin and his mother Nadira were trapped inside.

Later, the fire service brought out their bodies, he added.

Earlier, on December 13, one person was killed and several people were injured after a 20-foot stretch of rail track was deliberately removed by unidentified miscreants, leading to the derailment of the Mohanganj Express in Gazipur.