12 killed as train collides with bus at Cumilla crossing

At least 12 people were killed and eight others injured when a train struck a passenger bus at a level crossing in Cumilla early Saturday.

The accident occurred at the Paduar Bazar railway crossing on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway shortly before 3:00am, according to Inspector Saiful Islam of the Cumilla EPZ Outpost.

A Dhaka-bound mail train from Chattogram crashed into a Mamun Special bus travelling from Chuadanga to Lakshmipur. The impact dragged the severely damaged bus for nearly a kilometre. Fire Service personnel and Railway Police rushed to the scene after being alerted, rescued the আহত and took them to Cumilla Medical College Hospital.

Police said the bus may have entered the railway track before the collision, though the exact cause could not be immediately confirmed.

Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Mohammad Idris said three bodies were recovered from the scene, while others had been taken out earlier by police and locals. Ajay Bhowmik, a medical officer at Cumilla Medical College Hospital, said 12 people — including a child and several women — were brought in dead.

At least eight injured passengers are currently receiving treatment at the hospital, many suffering from severe head injuries.

One of the আহত, Omar Faruk, said he had been asleep when the bus suddenly lurched.

“After the crash, I saw the bus completely crushed. I lost consciousness and later woke up in the hospital,” he said.