Eight killed, 100 injured in Bangla train collision

Dhaka, May 14: At least eight people were killed and nearly 100 others injured when two passenger trains collided at Brahmanbaria in the early hours today.

The accident took place at Ashuganj station in Brahmanbaria, east of the Bangladesh capital. The Sylhet-bound Upaban Express had rammed into a Noakhali-bound train at the station at 12:10 am local time. Engines and bogies of both the trains went off the tracks on impact, Daily Star reported. Bangladesh Railway (BR) sources said several hundred passengers were on trains. ''So far eight bodies have been recovered and around 100 injured have been rushed to different local hospitals and clinics,'' Sub-inspector Kamruzzaman of Ashuganj Police Station told The Daily Star over phone at 12:45am local time.

He said they found the bodies and injured passengers outside the damaged carriages.

''As it was dark, they could not get inside and ascertain the extent of the casualties, he said adding that the death toll might rise,'' added the police officer.

Identities of the victims could not yet be known.

Ashuganj and Bhairab police and local people were working to rescue the injured passengers.

''A rescue train is already on its way to the scene,'' officer-in -charge (OC) of Government Railway Police (GRP) Mahbubur Rahman said.

''Engine of Upaban Express was damaged partially while two bogies of Noakhali Express were left mangled while movement of all trains along the route was suspended immediately after the accident,'' informed another GRP officer.

Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) sources said one of their vans from Ashuganj unit was taking part in the rescue operation.

UNI