At least 12 killed and many injured when one train hits another in central Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- A cargo train hit a passenger train outside the Bangladeshi capital on Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead and scores more injured, fire officials said.

Rescuers joined local residents in extracting passengers from the wreckage of the train cars, said fire official Mosharraf Hossain at Bhairab, in the central district of Kishoreganj, where the collision happened at 3:30 p.m.

He said the bodies of at least 15 people had been recovered and the number of casualties could increase.

“Our people are working there. It's a chaotic situation,” he told The Associated Press.

The crash occurred when two rear coaches of the Dhaka-bound Egarosindur Godhuli Express passenger train were hit by a cargo train heading to Chattogram, Azizul Haque Rajon, a senior fire official, said from the scene by phone.

He said it was unclear how many people were still trapped in the wreckage.

Train service to other parts of the country remained suspended following the accident, he said.

It wasn't immediately known what caused the crash. Train accidents are common in Bangladesh, blamed mainly on unsupervised railway crossings, poor signaling and bad track conditions.