At least six people were killed and nine others seriously injured as a covered van crashed into a moving train on a level-crossing inside the Inland Container Depot (ICD) of Kamalapur Railway Station on Monday. Three of the deceased were identified as Mujibur Rahman,55, Alamgir and Nayeem Shikder,16. Officer-in-charge of Kamalapur GRP Police Station Abdul Mazid said the fatal accident took place when the covered van of NS Cargo Company dashed the second bogie of the Dhaka-bound train from Narayanganj while it tried to cross the level-crossing inside the ICD of the railway station around 1pm, disrupting rail communications between Dhaka and Narayanganj for about 4.15 hours. The train communication between the two cities resumed around 5.15 pm after the removal of the crashed bogies and covered van, Divisional Railway Manger (DRM) Kamrul Ahsan told UNB. The bogie next to the train engine got entangled with the covered van and derailed, leaving two people dead on the spot and 12 others seriously injured. The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical Hospital where four of them died later. Kashem, a rickshaw-puller who was traveling in front of the train locomotive, said the covered van coming from the eastern side of the ICD crashed into the train 20-30 yards off the Kamalapur station around 1 pm as it tried to cross the level-crossing ignoring the signal of the Ansar members deployed there. The second bogie of the train behind the engine veered off the tracks following the accident that left two dead on the spot and 12 others injured, he said. Sablu, an ansar member of ICD level-crossing gate, said two Ansar members–Mizanur and Hannan– were injured during the incident while performing their duty. Meanwhile, Railways Minister Mujibul Haque visited the spot around 2:15 pm. “It couldn’t be known immediately whether the driver of the covered van lost control over the steering or the accident took place due to his negligence,” said the minister. Besides, a three-member probe committee, headed by Railway Divisional Transport Official Nazmul Hasan, was formed to investigate the accident. The committee was asked to submit its probe report within three working days. – UNB, Dhaka.
