A fire incident struck the Dhaka-bound Chattala Express on Thursday morning while it was passing through Sitakunda Upazila in Chattogram, leaving multiple coaches severely damaged.
The blaze reportedly began at around 7:30am near the BMA Gate area in Bhatiari, not far from Bhatiari Railway Station, according to eyewitnesses.
Officials from the fire service confirmed that at least three coaches were completely destroyed in the fire, while another coach sustained partial damage.
Kumira Fire Service Sub-Station Officer Ahsan Ali stated that the flames were successfully extinguished and, fortunately, no casualties were recorded.
Two firefighting units from the Kumira Fire Service Station responded promptly after receiving the alert and managed to bring the situation under control.
Passengers described moments of panic as smoke and flames spread through the train. However, many were able to disembark safely, as the train had been moving at a relatively slow speed at the time of the incident.
Preliminary findings suggest that the fire originated in the train’s power car before spreading to a nearby air-conditioned coach.
Rail communication on the Chattogram–Dhaka and Chattogram–Sylhet routes faced temporary disruption due to the incident.
In response, Bangladesh Railway has set up a probe committee to determine the exact cause of the fire.
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