The train carrying several hundred passengers from Benapole to Khulna via Jessore might have faced a disaster had the 17-year-old Monirul not warned the train driver of a possible danger, railway sources said.

Monirul, who was walking along the rail track at around 12.15pm, suddenly noticed that the fishplate of the railway line had been removed by some miscreants. Then he started waving a piece of red cloth to stop the approaching train and the driver followed accordingly to save the lives of the passengers.

The train was the only transport for the passengers travelling from and to Khulna, Jessore and Benapole as all other transports were off the road because of the 60-hour hartal.

Local people suspected that pro-hartal activists might have removed the fishplate to cause disruption in train service.

However, the train communication resumed after the repair of the rail line.