The engine and three carriages of an oil freight train derailed in Kushtia’s Mirpur Upazila on Saturday spilling nearly all of the oil from one of the train’s containers.
The accident occurred at 7:30 am after the train left the Halsa Rail Station. Due to the presence of a double line in the area, train service was not otherwise disrupted.
“The engine and three tankers of oil on a train headed from Khulna to Ishwardi derailed,” said Md Manzer Ali, chief of Poradaha Railway Police in Kushtia. “Almost all of the oil in one tank was spilled.”
“The tag on the side of the tank said its capacity was 42 tonnes, so we believe that is the amount spilled.”
A rescue train from Ishwardi is conducting recovery operations.
Train service from Khulna to Dhaka, Rajshahi and northern Bangladesh is proceeding according to schedule as another line is available in the area, said Zahirul Islam, station master of the Poradaha Railway Junction.
Officials in the area believe that recovery efforts will wrap up soon.
