33 die in Bangladesh train-bus collision

A train plowed through a bus on a railway crossing in northern Bangladesh killing at least 33 people and injuring 15 others.

A train plowed through a bus on Tuesday at an unmanned railway crossing in northern Bangladesh, killing at least 33 people and injuring about 15 others, an official said.

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At least 20 bus passengers were killed at the scene of the accident in Joypurhat, while 13 others later died of their injuries on the way or after being taken to a hospital in the district, 208 kms north of the capital, Dhaka, local official Amar Chand Banik said.

The twisted bus fell into a roadside ditch after being hit in the middle by the train, Banik said.

Police and firefighters recovered at least 20 bodies from the wreckage of the bus, according to the domestic news agency, the United News of Bangladesh.

The death toll was likely to rise because more bodies were believed trapped inside the crushed bus, the agency said, citing rescue workers.

A local police officer said the driver apparently missed or ignored a warning sign erected near the crossing, alerting pedestrians and vehicles to move carefully.

The officer asked that he not be identified by name because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Hundreds of residents thronged to the area, as many relatives searched for family members who had been on the bus. The injured were being treated at hospitals, Banik said.