3 of family die as train hits autorickshaw

Three members of a family were killed and another man was critically injured when a CNG-run auto-rickshaw ran into a mail train at the Shashongachha level crossing in Cumilla yesterday morning.

The dead were identified as Farid Munshi, 65, his wife Peyara Begum and their daughter Akhi Akter from the district's Debidwar upazila. They were passengers of the CNG-run auto-rickshaw. The driver of the vehicle, Robiul, was critically injured.

Shafikur Rahman, Cumilla Railway station master, said the accident occurred around 6:50am when the CNG-run auto-rickshaw, which was trying to cross the railway from the wrong side, hit a Dhaka-bound mail train at Shashongachha railway crossing near the Cumilla Railway Station.

Sub-Inspector Ismail Hossain Siraji, in-charge of Cumilla Railway police out post, confirmed four passengers, including two women and a driver of an auto-rickshaw, were injured after the incident.

He added that all four were taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital where Farid Munshi died after admission. Peyara Begum died while undergoing treatment. Akhi and driver Robiul were referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

On the way there, Akhi succumbed to her injuries.

While talking to reporters, Md Harun, a relative of the family, said, "Farid Munshi were on their way to Cumilla town for medical treatment purposes. They hired a CNG-run auto-rickshaw from the village home and was on their way when the accident occurred."