‘I don't know if my sister is dead or alive’

Natasha Jesmin, a teacher of the Academia School in the capital's Wari, boarded a Dhaka-bound train around 7:00pm yesterday after a visit to her home in Faridpur.

After boarding the Benapole Express with her husband, Natasha called her mother, informing her that she was on her way back to Dhaka.

But after the train was set on fire in Dhaka's Golapbagh last night, Natasha did not make her way back home.

After spending all of last night searching for her among charred train carriages and in local hospitals, Natasha's crestfallen younger sisters, Shahin Nasrin and Khushbu, continued their search at the rail lines throughout the morning today to no avail.

There appears to be no trace of Natasha.

"I cannot find my sister. I don't know if she is alive or dead. I request the authorities to quickly conduct DNA tests on the bodies they have found," Shahin told The Daily Star.

There are four charred bodies, yet to be identified, kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Natasha's husband, Asif Khan, is hospitalised at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with severe burns.

He has been unable to help search for his wife and has not seen her since he fell unconscious during the incident.

"My sister has been missing since the train was set on fire and her husband doesn't know anything about her whereabouts," Shahin lamented.

At least four people were killed and over a dozen others were injured after arsonists set fire to the Benapole Express train in Dhaka around 9:00pm on Friday.

'I saw a burning body, so I couldn't sleep'

Meanwhile, locals have been gathering near the railway line in Gopibagh since morning today, gauging the damage and offering help.

Many rushed out with water from their homes last night when they saw the blazing train come to a stop.

While visiting the spot, the correspondent found burnt clothes, shoes and other items, barely recognisable, scattered along the tracks.

Zarina Begum, 45, whose home is situated in front of where the train stopped, has been standing solemnly in front of the site ever since the incident.

She recounted a harrowing experience.

"I used all the water I had stored at home to help douse the flames last night. I saw a burning body, so I couldn't sleep."

Another person, Shamim Hossain, said he helped six people escape from burning compartments.

He said many passengers did not know how to open the windows and that many windows were closed due to the cold weather, delaying evacuation of passengers.