Trains collide in Bangladesh, killing at least 16

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Two trains collided in eastern Bangladesh on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people and injuring scores, officials said. Local police chief Shayamal Kanti Das said the collision took place when the Udayan Express and Turna Nishita trains approached each other on the same track from opposite directions in Brahmanbaria district.

The area is 82 kilometers (51 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka. Local government administrator Hayat Ud Dowlah Khan said 16 people died and at least 40 others were being treated at hospitals for injuries.

The United News of Bangladesh news agency said more than 100 were injured. TV footage showed fire service rescuers pulling bodies from the twisted coaches and using body bags to send the bodies to hospital morgues. Authorities were investigating the accident, but officials said they found the driver of the Turna Nishita train responsible because he ignored a signal. That driver and two others have been suspended. Train accidents are common in Bangladesh, blamed mainly on unsupervised railway crossings, poor signaling and bad track conditions. (AP)

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