Deaths on railway tracks

Two persons, including a child, died on September 25 after being run over by speeding trains within a matter of hours in Dhaka. The first fatality was reported occurred when a five-year-old boy Palak was run over by a train on Tejgaon railway track. The child had accompanied his grandmother to a local kitchen market. Leaving Palak outside the market, the grandmother had gone inside to buy some groceries. Few minutes later, she heard a commotion. After she rushed out, she found Palak with smashed legs and a bleeding head. After he was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), doctors declared him dead.

Two hours later, a 50-year-old lady suffered the same fate on a railway track in Banani. Local police sources mentioned that she was trying to cross the railway track near Sainik Club when a train hit her.

Such deaths occur almost every month on the railway tracks of the country. The rate is especially high in Dhaka as most of the people are not cautious while walking or travelling near the railway tracks. It is strange that people most of the time try to cross the railway tracks even after hearing the whistle of the train. Also, the number of illegal slums and markets located near the railway tracks increase the risks of such fatalities.

It is sad that these incidents are likely to occur until people crossing or living near railway tracks become more cautious.

Akibul Javed,

Indira Road, Dhaka