Deaths in Bangladesh train crash

At least five people are killed and more than 60 injured after two passenger trains collide outside the capital Dhaka. Last Modified: 08 Dec 2010 13:55 GMT

At least five people have been killed and 60 others injured when two passenger trains collided just outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. The accident occurred at a railway station at Narshingdi, 55 kilometres northeast of Dhaka, when a passenger train slammed into another stationary passenger train on Wednesday. Doctors at one hospital in the Narshingdi district reported that around 26 people were being treated for injuries, while another hospital said it had admitted 35 people with wounds. "The engine car of the moving train rammed into the stationary train. This caused the two back carriages on the stationary train to fly up into the air and crash back down on top of the engine car," Ruhul Amin Molla, head of the fire department in Narshingdi district, told the AFP news agency. "There are still people trapped inside." A reporter at the scene said he saw nearly 10 bodies and many others were injured, as three carriages of the stationary train were badly mangled. Rescue trains were sent to the scene to remove the wreckage. A fire service official said the death toll may rise as more than 50 severely injured people had already been taken to local hospitals. Hundreds of people have thronged the spot looking for their relatives travelling on the trains. Railway officials said an investigation had been launched to ascertain the cause of the crash.

Source: Agencies