At least 17 people were killed and 100 others injured in a collision between two trains in Bangladesh on Monday, local authorities said, expecting a higher toll.
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In the eastern town of Bhairab, a freight train rammed a passenger train traveling in the opposite direction, derailing two passenger carriages, officials said.
“We recovered 17 bodies. More than a hundred people were injured,” Sadiqur Rahman, an official in Bhairab, about 60 kilometers northeast of the capital Dhaka, told AFP.
“The death toll will rise,” he added, adding that rescuers could still see bodies crushed and trapped under overturned train cars.
A rescue train with construction equipment is expected at the scene of the accident, he added.
The accident occurred around 4:00 p.m. (10:00 GMT) when the two trains collided.
Videos from private broadcaster Channel 24 showed hundreds of people crowding the scene of the tragedy, including crying families looking for their loved ones.
“We rescued two people alive” who were trapped under overturned cars, Red Crescent volunteer Nazmul Haque told the press.
Firefighters, police and elite forces from the rapid response battalion were on site. Two investigations were launched.
Nazmul Islam, an official with the state-run Bangladesh Railway, told reporters that the freight train passed the signal.
Train accidents are common in Bangladesh and are often caused by poor signaling, negligence, outdated tracks or other dilapidated infrastructure.