At least 8 killed in a train collision in Bangladesh

Two trains collided Wednesday in eastern Bangladesh, killing at least eight people, a railway official said.

Bangladesh Railway spokesman Shafiqul Alam Khan said an additional 16 people were injured in the morning accident in Brahmmanbaria district, 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka.

Khan said the Upaban Express train rammed into the rear of another train, the Noakhali Express, which was waiting at a railway station for its regular stop. The casualties were all passengers on the Noakhali Express.

A combined six coaches from both trains were badly damaged by the collision, he said.

Train services in the area resumed Wednesday after hours of suspension, Khan said.

Khan said both trains, one heading for the northeastern city of Sylhet and the other toward the eastern town of Noakhali, left Dhaka’s Kamlapur Railway Station late Tuesday.

Bangladesh Railway director general Belayet Hossain said a four-member committee was investigating the accident.

Train accidents are common in Bangladesh mainly because of poorly maintained tracks and a lax signaling system.

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