A total of 11 passengers of a microbus were killed and five others injured as a train rammed their vehicle at a rail crossing in Mirsharai upazila of Chattogram today.
Of them, nine passengers of the microbus have been identified.
All of the deceased were students and teachers of a coaching center called ‘R and J Plus’ located in Aman Bazar area of Hathazari upazila of the district.
The deceased four teachers were Jisan, Sajib, Rakib and Redwan. The deceased students were Hisham, Ayat, Maruf, Tasfir and Hasan, all of them were SSC and HSC candidates.
The six injured are – microbus helper Taukid Ibne Shawon ,20, 11th grade student Md Mahim,18, Tanvir Hasan Hridoy ,18, Md Emon ,19 and SSC candidates Tashmir Pabel,16, and Md Saikot,18.
Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahidul Alam said the accident occurred around 12.45pm as the Chattogram-bound Probhati Express train hit the microbus of the victims while they were returning from Khaiyachhara waterfall of Mirsarai.
Meanwhile, railway authorities have formed a five-member inquiry committee headed by its Eastern Railway official Ansar Ali to look into the incident.
The committee asked to submit the report within five working days, Anser Ali said.
Railway police arrested Saddam Hussain, the Gate man of Khaiachhara Rail around 6 pm on Friday, Nazim Uddin, officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mirsarai Railway Police Station said.
Mirsharai fire service personnel went to the spot and recovered the bodies and rescued three other passengers of the microbus and sent them to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, said Imam Hossain, station officer of the fire service station.
They were on their way back after visiting Khaiyachhara waterfall when the Dhaka-bound Probhati Express train hit their microbus and dragged it for at least one kilometer, witnesses said.
