Fire breaks out on Chattala Express train in Sitakunda, 900 passengers survive

A fire broke out in the power car of the Dhaka-bound Chattala Express passenger train near the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) gate in Bhatiyari Union of Sitakunda in Chittagong.

There were approximately 900 passengers on the Dhaka-bound Chattala Express train that caught fire. All of them are safe, and no one was injured or killed, according to officials from the Eastern Railway.

The incident occurred at around 6:45 am today, Thursday, March 26th.

Railway Eastern Zone sources said that although the Chattala Express train had 828 seats, there were a total of 900 passengers, including standing passengers.

Upon receiving the information, a fire service team rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. Before the fire service personnel arrived, the intact coaches of the train were taken to Faujdarhat station.

Sitakunda Fire Service Station Sub-Officer Ahsan Habib said, “We went to the spot after receiving information about a fire on the moving Chattala Express train around 7 am today. When we got there, we saw that the power car (power generating compartment) was on fire. We quickly controlled the fire.”

Before they arrived, train officials and army personnel, with the help of locals, detached the intact coaches of the train and took them to Fauzdarhat station. He could not immediately say what caused the fire.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiyan said, “Although the Chattala Express train was supposed to leave Chittagong Station at 6 am, it left Chittagong Station at 6:20 am today, 20 minutes late. After learning about the fire at 6:43 am, the relevant officials including the Fire Service were informed. After that, the Fire Service officials worked to control the fire.”

He also said, “The train’s power car (the power-supplying compartment) and an AC compartment were burnt in the fire. No passengers were injured. The train’s power car and an AC compartment were burnt. Later, a new power car and an AC compartment were added and it left for Dhaka at 10:45.”

Inspector Aman Ullah of the security force at Chittagong Railway Station said, “No one was injured in the fire on the Chattala Express train. All passengers were able to get off safely.”

Local resident Azizul Hakim said that the train passengers were screaming in panic. Hearing their screams, people including him went to the spot. Many people assisted in the rescue work.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Abul Kalam Azad, in-charge of the Railway Police’s Faujdarhat outpost, said that the Chattala Express train with 17 coaches was heading towards Dhaka from Chittagong station at around 6:30 am. When the train reached the BMA Gate area around 7 am, a power car in front of the air-conditioned coach ‘C’ caught fire.

The official said that an elderly passenger of the train saw the fire when he went to the washroom. Later, after he informed others about the matter, the signal was given to stop the train immediately. When the train stopped, the passengers got off. Then, the burning coach and the ‘C’ coach of the train were separated and taken to Faujdarhat station.

Kumira Fire Station Assistant Officer Ehsan Ali said, “Upon receiving the news of the fire, two units of the fire service started working to control it at 6:55 am. The fire was brought under control at 8:05 am. The train’s power car and an air-conditioned coach were burnt in the fire.”

He added, “Initially, it seems that the fire in the train may have been caused by engine overheating. However, the matter is being investigated. The extent of the damage will be known after the investigation.”

DRM Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiyan confirmed that the Eastern Railway Authority has formed an investigation committee into the fire incident.

He said a four-member investigation committee headed by the Divisional Transport Officer (DTO) has been formed to investigate the fire in the train compartment. The committee has been asked to submit a report as soon as possible.

Stating that the initial suspicion was that the fire started due to a mechanical fault, he added that the committee formed will conduct a further investigation to find out the exact cause of the fire. After confirming the truth of the fire during the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.