NARSHINGDI, BANGLADESH: At least seven people were killed and 50 were injured in a head-on train collision in Bangladesh on Wednesday, police said. The Daily Star online edition and local television channel Desh reported the death tolls as 10 and 13 respectively. Both outlets said more than 100 people were injured.

The accident occurred at a railway station at Narsingdi, 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the capital Dhaka, when a passenger train slammed into another stationary passenger train. The impact derailed most of the carriages of the trains. A reporter at the scene said he saw bodies and many injured, as three carriages of the stationary train were badly mangled. Rescue trains were sent to the scene to remove the wreckage.

“Till now we have recovered some bodies and there is still one body stuck in between the two wagons. The rescue operations is on, and we are trying to salvage the train with the help of railway recovery train,” said Major Sheikh Mohammad Shahjalal, the director of fire service.

A fire service official said the death toll may rise as more than 50 badly injured people had already been taken to local hospitals. Hundreds of people thronged the scene looking for their relatives travelling in the trains.

“I couldn’t understand what had happened, when I got my conscious back I saw that I am in this hospital and learned that some people who were with me died in the accident, and God saved me,” said Mujibar Rahman, who was injured in the accident.

An army rescue team joined the operation, but a sudden, unseasonable downpour was hampering efforts to pull victims out of the wreckage. Rail services between Dhaka and the country’s main port, Chittagong, remained suspended after the accident.

Railway officials said an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the crash. Bangladesh Railway runs 162 passenger and 34 goods trains daily in a network of some 3,000 km (1,875 miles). But derailments and collisions occur frequently, killing more than 20 people across the country a year.-Reuters

About Rabia Abbas

Rabia Abbas has written 53 articles on this journal.

Rabia Abbas is working for Pakistani Chapter of European NGO, 3Oth (Third World Talent Hunt) having Master degree in Business Administration. She is passionate to explore innovative ways of art, entertainment, fashion and to carry on uniqueness and to wake up the creativity in each person. She contributes on Pakistan Times to promote Pakistani Culture and Art within Youth.

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