The engine of a local train from Parbatipur to Burimari went on without its passenger carriages at Tushbhandar station in Kaliganj upazila, Lalmonirhat. With the carriages stuck on the level crossing of the Lalmonirhat-Burimari highway, traffic was completely halted for about an hour. A relief engine later came from Lalmonirhat, recovered the carriages and set off for Burimari.
It happened at 10am on Sunday about 100 yards from Tushbhandar station in Kaliganj upazila.
Witnesses said that when the train reached the Tushbhandar station area its carriages suddenly came apart from the engine and stopped on the level crossing barrier. The driver, not realising the carriages had come loose, went on alone with the engine for about a kilometre. With the carriages stuck where the railway crosses the highway, long-distance buses, trucks and other vehicles were stranded on both sides, causing a severe tailback.
A witness, Abul Kashem, said the whole highway was blocked by the carriages standing on the level crossing. Passengers and drivers of hundreds of vehicles suffered badly in the intense heat for about an hour.
Zaman Mahmud Apel, the Tushbhandar station master, said a relief engine was quickly sent to the spot from the Lalmonirhat railway divisional office. It coupled up with the detached carriages and the train left for Burimari, after which traffic on the highway returned to normal. The cause was the hook joining the engine to the carriages coming loose. Nobody was hurt.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report