Five people were killed after being run over by a train in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila this evening.

The deceased are Sultan Mahmud, 28; Dola, 45; Nargis, 30; Ripa, 20; and Nirob, 12. They were from Sadullapur in Gaibandha district, according to Mizanur Rahman, sub-inspector of Tangail Railway Station Police Outpost.

The incident happened around 7:45pm at Tangail-Jamuna Bridge East rail line in Jogar Char area.

Police believe the victims were passengers of a bus on the highway.

“When a Dhaka-bound bus ran out of fuel in Kalihati’s Dhalatengor area, several passengers got off the bus and were sitting on the railway tracks beside the highway,” said Mizanur.

Rezaul Karim, station master of Ibrahimabad Railway Station at the eastern end of Jamuna Bridge, told The Daily Star that the deceased include women and children.

He said that due to traffic congestion on the highway, they may have stepped out of their vehicle and were sitting on the railway tracks beside the road.

“Railway police arrived at the spot and launched recovery efforts. Details will be disclosed later,” the station master added.