October 24, 2023
DHAKA – Abdul Khaled got on the train in Katiyadi of Kishoreganj with a heavy heart.
The 55-year-old, who lives in a garage on Kuril Biswa Road and pulls a rickshaw for a living, wanted to stay a bit longer with his family back home but could not as he had to come back to the capital for work.
After spending 13 days in Kishoreganj, he was returning to Dhaka today on the last coach of a packed train compartment.
The train had just left the station and within 3-4 minutes, there was a loud sound and his coach of the train fell off the rails.
“It felt like the world was collapsing around me. Suddenly, one of the doors of the compartment fell on me along with some luggage… I cried out in pain,” said Abdul Khaled.
Khaled was one of the nine passengers brought to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) around 9:00pm after a freight train smashed into three carriages of Egarosindhur Godhuli near Bhairab Bazar Junction Railway Station this afternoon.
At least 17 people were killed and scores injured in the accident.
“There were two bodies lying next to me… I could not move my legs… I was writhing in pain… the heavy door of the train crushed my right leg. It took 10-12 people around 20 minutes to remove the door to pull me out,” Khaled told this correspondent at the hospital while waiting his turn for surgery, scheduled for early in the morning.
Shabitri Rani Chakrabarty, nurse supervisor at Nitor, said hearing the news of the accident, many off-duty healthcare professionals rushed to the hospital.
When asked about Khaled, she said his right leg has been completely damaged. She said they would be able to provide more details after the operation today.
Meanwhile, a couple from Jinjira area in Keraniganj was brought to the hospital from the site of the train accident.
The husband, Shahjahan Mia, 55, a vegetable seller, was in the operation theatre with a broken arm. His wife, Halima Begum, 50, was admitted with head injuries.
The duo went to Kishoreganj five days ago. They were rescued by some passengers.
Their son, Kawser Ahmed, rushed to the hospital after hearing about the accident. He demanded compensation for the victims.