Two Killed as Detached Oil Train Cars Collide with Vehicles at Rajbari Crossing

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A collision between a runaway train carriage and three vehicles at a railway crossing in Rajbari, Bangladesh, left two people dead and at least eight others injured on Sunday night. The accident occurred at the Khankhanapur rail gate when a passenger bus, a motorized mahindra, and an electric easybike were struck by five detached oil tanker wagons.

The incident took place after a freight train, returning from a power plant in Faridpur with 30 wagons, suffered a mechanical failure. According to railway officials, the coupling between the 25th and 26th wagons snapped approximately 20 minutes before the crossing. While the engine and the lead portion of the train cleared the intersection, the five detached rear wagons continued to roll toward the crossing, unseen by the gatekeeper.

Believing the train had fully passed, the gateman raised the safety barrier, allowing traffic to proceed. As the bus, mahindra, and easybike entered the tracks, the uncoupled wagons slammed into them. The impact obliterated the smaller vehicles and forced the passenger bus off the road, pinning it against the embankment.

Emergency responders, including local police, highway patrol, and fire services, rushed to the scene to extract the victims from the wreckage. The injured were transported to local hospitals, with five individuals subsequently transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. Two of those patients—identified as 50-year-old Manowar Hossain and 45-year-old Abdul Malek—succumbed to their injuries shortly after arrival.

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Witnesses at the scene criticized the timing of the gatekeeper’s actions, suggesting that a brief delay in opening the barrier could have prevented the tragedy. Momin, a local resident, noted that the gatekeeper appeared unaware that a portion of the train had separated and was still moving toward the crossing.

Rajbari Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Uttam Kumar Ghosh confirmed that an investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway. By early Monday morning, railway engineering teams had secured the detached wagons and moved them to the Amirabad station.