Fire in Egarosindur engine at Pubail, Gazipur disrupts Dhaka-Chattogram train services

A fire broke out in the engine of the Kishoreganj-to-Dhaka Egarosindur train on the Dhaka-Chattogram rail line at Pubail in Gazipur. The incident occurred on Friday at around 4:30pm.

Passengers said the fire started in the engine shortly after the train had crossed Pubail station. Large amounts of black smoke poured from the engine and panic spread among passengers as the smoke spread.

The smoke eased after the engine was shut down. The fire was put out with water through the efforts of local residents and the train's own management.

The train driver said: 'When we saw the fire, local people and the train's passengers gathered. The local people helped a lot. Some came with buckets, some with pitchers, some with water motor pipes to put out the train's fire. There was a drain nearby and water was brought from there, and water from a neighbouring under-construction house was also used.'

Md Rafiqul Hasan, officer-in-charge of Bhairab Railway Police Station, said smoke had come out of the engine of the Dhaka-bound Egarosindur train, but he could not confirm whether there had actually been a fire.

The officer-in-charge added that train services on the Chattogram-to-Dhaka line were suspended because of the incident, while services on the Dhaka-to-Chattogram line remained normal. Dilip Barua, in-charge of the Narsingdi railway outpost, was on his way to the spot and details would be given once he arrived, he said.

Anisur Rahman, director of the public relations department of Bangladesh Railway, said train services in Gazipur had returned to normal. The stranded Egarosindur train was being taken to Dhaka with another engine.

Bangladesh Railway has formed a four-member investigation committee to look into the incident, Anisur Rahman said.