Dhaka-bound Sonar Bangla Express hit a freight train at Nangalkot of Cumilla causing seven carriages and the locomotive to derail yesterday evening.

At least 30 people were injured and five among them were in serious condition, said Jashim Uddin Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Laksham Railway Police Station.

He said the five seriously injured were sent to hospitals.

The express train from Chattogram rear-ended the stationary freight train at Hasanpur Railway Station of Cumilla, claimed locals.

Abidur Rahman, divisional railway manager (Chattogram), such a collision with a freight train is rare. "I cannot say what caused it. A four-member probe body, led by Divisional Transport Officer (Chattogram) Tarique Md Imran, has been formed."

However, a railway official said the signalling system was broken at the station and that the switch there was mistakenly directing trains to a loop line instead of the main line, which does not require a train to stop at the station.

The official claimed that the express was doing 70kmph when it hit the freight train, causing extensive damage to carriages.

BR Director General Quamrul Ahsan said the driver should have stopped the train if the signal was not functioning. He overshot the signal causing the crash, he said. 

Of the seven carriages that got damaged, three were AC chair carriages and four were non-AC carriages.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway last night cancelled today's Dhaka-Chattogram trip of Sonar Bangla Express. People had bought advance ticket for this trip on April 7. BR, however, said the ticket holders will travel on a special train that will leave Kamalapur Railway Station at 8:00am on April 19, said Nahid Hossain Khan, director (public relation) of BR.

He said if anyone wanted to cancel their trip, they could do so via the BR online portal and they would be refunded.