At least 15 people have died as a result of two separate public transport crashes in Bangladesh, officials said Thursday, according to dpa. At least seven people were killed when a train hit a three-wheeled vehicle at a level crossing at Dirasram in northern Bangladesh. The accident took place when a diesel-electric multiple unit train from the capital Dhaka hit an auto-rickshaw around 2:30 pm (0830 GMT) as there was no signal bar at the level crossing, said Md Alauddin, sub-inspector of Tongi railway police outpost. The police official said all the victims died on the spot. Their identities were not immediately revealed, while a rescue operation was ongoing. In a second incident, at least eight people were killed when a passenger bus drove into a roadside ditch in the Tangail region of the northern district of Basail. "A Dhaka-bound bus of Binimoy Paribahan [company] fell into a roadside ditch on Dhaka-Tangail Highway around 3 pm Thursday (0900 GMT) after the driver lost control over the steering. Six people, including a woman, died on the spot and 20 others received injuries," said Traffic Sergeant Mohammad Asad of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway.
