By EFE-EPA
At least 16 people were killed and 58 injured on Tuesday as two passenger trains collided in Bhramanbaria district in western Bangladesh.
Rescue workers and people gather beside the remains of a damaged passenger train in Kasba Upazila, Brahmanba district, Bangladesh, Nov. 12, 2019. (EFE-EPA/STR / MANILA BULLETIN)
The accident occurred at around 3 am when a train bound for Dhaka was traveling on the same railway track as another going to the port city of Chittagong, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Bangladeshi capital, Police Chief Anisur Rahman told EFE.
"(The) Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita train hit Chittagong-bound Udayan Express on the back damaging four to five bogies (wagons)," said Rahman.
According to Masudu Alam, the administrative chief of Kasba area where the accident occurred, 16 bodies were recovered during rescue efforts, although the number could increase.
The police chief reported that 58 people had been found injured so far — several of them in a serious condition — and they were transferred to hospitals in Bhramanbaria.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the collision occurred.
The authorities were yet to reveal the causes of the accident or explain how two trains ended up on the same track.
Although train accidents are not uncommon in Bangladesh, this has been one of the worst recorded in recent years.