• The microbus was carrying bridal party
• Both bride, groom among the dead
• Death toll may rise

At least 10 people including bride and groom were killed as a train hit a microbus carrying a bridal party in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj this evening.

Dhaka-bound Padma Express hit the microbus at Solop level-crossing around 6:40 pm, leaving its 10 passengers dead, said Md Harun, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Government Railway Police Station.

Eight people of them including the bride, groom died on the spot and four others were injured. The injured were taken to a local hospital where two of them died, he told our Pabna correspondent.

Identities of the deceased and the injured could not be known immediately.

The microbus of the bridal party was going towards Kandapara of Sirajganj Sadar upazila from Kamarkhand upazila with 12 passengers, the police official said.

Abdul Hamid Mia, deputy assistant director of Sirajganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the death toll may rise.

Protesting the accident, locals blocked the rail tracks for several hours.

Abdullah Al Mamun, divisional transportation officer (Pakhsi), said that a four-member committee was formed to investigate the accident.

The committee has also been asked to submit its reports within next seven working days, he added.

Mamun said that there was no gateman at the crossing as it was closed for long.

Authority has hanged sign boards on both sides of the rail crossing asking people to cross the line with their own responsibility, he added.

Talked to The Daily Star, Md. Sawkat Osman, chairman of Solop union parishad, said though many vehicles use to cross the Solop rail crossing authority did not deploy any gateman.

“We have demanded gateman several times but the railway authority did not put heed to our demand,” the chairman said.