At least three people have been reported to be killed after a train derailed near the Tongi Railway Station, at the outskirts of capital Dhaka.
The incident was reported around 12:30pm on Sunday, said the OC Yasin Faruq of General Railway Police Station in Kamalapur.
Dhaka’s train communication with the rest of the country, except for Narayanganj has been halted since the incident.
The last three carriages of the Dhaka-bound train from Jamalpur derailed as it was switching tracks soon after crossing Tongi, said OC Faruq.
The incident left three people, travelling on the roofs, killed on the spot and several others injured, he said.
Tongi Railway’s Assistant Station Master SM Kabir Hossain said a rescue train was on its way to clear the tracks and that all trains to and from Dhaka have been halted.
The railway ministry, however, confirmed two deaths.
Its Public Relation Officer Shariful Islam said the carriages derailed just before entering the Airport Railway Station in Dhaka, when two people died after falling off from the roofs.
Railways Minister Majibul Huq and Secretary Mofazzal Hossain were on their way to the spot, he said.