9 sky lanterns land on MRT lines amid New Year’s Eve celebrations

At least nine lanterns have landed on the metro rail tracks on Tuesday night as people celebrated New Year's Eve on Dec 31.

As metro rail operations remained shut at night and the lanterns were removed early on Wednesday before the trains began to run, they did not cause any disruption, according to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, or DMTCL.

“Assuming some lanterns [would land on the rail tracks], we were prepared to address it. Four teams worked on the MRT lines from early morning and found nine lanterns. They removed them. Hence, there has been no disruption in train service since this morning,” DMTCL Managing Director Mohammed Abdur Rouf informed.

Earlier on Monday, DMTCL cautioned the public not to release lanterns near the metro rail area.

“Metro trains rely on high-capacity electric lines along the Uttara North to Motijheel route. Releasing lanterns or similar objects on Dec 31 could result in them becoming entangled in these lines, posing a severe risk of accidents, including loss of lives and property,” Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy general manager (administration) of DMTCL, said in a statement on Monday.

“To mitigate these risks, we are making a special request to refrain from releasing lanterns or similar objects along the metro rail route from Uttara North to Motijheel and nearby areas,” he added.

DMTCL also warned that those responsible for accidents resulting from non-compliance would face punitive measures.