Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has said the metro rail service was suspended immediately as they were unsure whether anyone else, besides the one person spotted, was on the train roof.
DMTCL Managing Director Faruque Ahmed explained the situation in a statement on Monday morning.
He said, “Since we could not confirm whether anyone else was onto the roof of the train, the rail service was suspended immediately.”
He added that the entire line was searched for two to three hours, with multiple manual checks carried out at night and a sweeping train scanning the whole track in the morning.
“Our priority is public safety at any situation. We are doing whatever is necessary to keep operations running,” he said.
He also said, “We rescued one child and had indications that two or three others were present.”
Faruque Ahmed further said the video showed the boy entering through the gap between two coaches rather than through the train door. He climbed onto the plastic and flexible section, which was extremely risky. “It was fortunate that the part was not electrified. Otherwise, a major accident could have occurred,” he added.
The official said no specific information was available about who else was involved, and without certainty, the train could not be operated immediately.
When journalists asked whether information was withheld, he replied, “We did not withhold any information. We were cautious to avoid mistakes or misleading details that could unnecessarily create fear among passengers.”
Earlier, on Sunday night, metro rail services were suspended after two individuals climbed onto the roof of a train at Dhaka’s Secretariat Station. The metro services remained halted from 8:05am.
