Panic and chaos gripped passengers as multiple coaches of the Nilsagar Express derailed on Wednesday near Tilakpur station, snapping vital rail connections across northern Bangladesh at the peak of the Eid travel rush.
The Chilahati-bound train 765, coming from Dhaka, veered off the tracks with at least eight coaches overturning between Santahar in Bogura and Akkelpur in Joypurhat.
Eyewitnesses described a “violent jolt” before carriages lurched off the line, leaving terrified passengers scrambling to safety.
The accident, which struck a single-line section, has brought train movement on the busy Santahar-Chilahati corridor to a complete halt.
Key routes linking Panchagarh and Saidpur remain suspended, triggering widespread disruption for thousands of holiday travellers rushing home for Eid.
The train was packed with passengers, many of them families and migrant workers heading home to celebrate. Several people were reported injured, though the full extent of casualties was not immediately confirmed.
Videos circulating on social media showed mangled coaches strewn across the tracks as stunned passengers gathered nearby, some attempting to collect belongings from the wreckage.
Railway officials said rescue and recovery operations are underway, but warned that clearing the derailed coaches and repairing the damaged tracks could take significant time due to the scale of the destruction.
With rail services crippled, stranded passengers have been urged to seek alternative transport, adding to the growing travel nightmare just days before Eid.