15 killed in Bangladesh train accident
Dhaka: At least 15 people were killed and over 50 others injured in a head-on collision between two trains in Brahmanbaria district in east-central Bangladesh on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Chittagong-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet and Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita collided near Mondobhag Railway Station in the district around 3:30am on Tuesday, Hayat-ud-Dowla Khan, Brahmanbaria Deputy Commissioner was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
Khan said that the accident occured because the loco masters did not obey the signals.
Three separate probe committees have been formed to investigate the mishap, railways ministry secretary Mofazzal Hossain was quoted as saying in the report.
The Daily Star reported that the two trains collided as one of them- Udayan Express-was changing tracks at Akhaura Railway Junction. Identities of the deceased have not been ascertained yet, the report said.
Shayamal Kanti Das, officer-in-charge of Akhaura railway police station, said 12 people died on the spot, while three others succumbed to injuries at different hospitals.
The rescue operation was underway. Death toll may rise as many people are still trapped under the damaged coaches, he added. Train services between Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Noakhali and Chattogram-Sylhet have been suspended following the accident.
Two relief trains from Akhaura and Laksam railway junctions have been rushed to the spot for rescue and relief operations, the Daily Star reported.
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54 people killed in overnight airstrikes on southern Gaza city, hospital says
Khan Younis (Gaza Strip) (AP): A hospital in southern Gaza says 54 people have been killed in overnight airstrikes on the city of Khan Younis.
An Associated Press cameraman in Khan Younis counted 10 airstrikes on the city overnight into Thursday, and saw numerous bodies taken to the morgue in the city's Nasser Hospital.
Some bodies arrived in pieces, with some body bags containing the remains of multiple people. The hospital's morgue confirmed 54 people had been killed.
It was the second night of heavy bombing, after airstrikes Wednesday on northern and southern Gaza killed at least 70 people, including almost two dozen children.
The strikes come as US President Donald Trump visits the Middle East, visiting Gulf states but not Israel.
There had been widespread hope that Trump's regional visit could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month.
