Dhaka (PTI): At least 15 people were killed and several others injured on Monday when a freight train collided with a passenger train in Bangladesh, officials said.
The accident took place when the freight train headed towards Chattogram collided with the Dhaka-bound Egaro Sindur Express around 3.30 pm (local time) in Bhairab upazila, Kishoreganj, Bhairab Railway Police Station duty officer Sirajul Islam told the media.
"Fifteen bodies have been recovered so far from the wreckage. Death toll could rise," said Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence media chief Shahjahan Sikder.
He said over a dozen units of the fire service are conducting rescue operations.
Several people were trapped under the damaged coaches, bdnews24 reported, citing a police official at the Bhairab Railway Station.
"An initial report said that the freight train crashed into the Egaro Sindur from behind, striking two of the carriages," Anowar Hossain, superintendent of Dhaka Railway Police, was quoted as saying by the news portal.
#Breaking
— Ershad Khan (@ershadkhandu) October 23, 2023
A devastating train accident when 2 train attacked each others directly today afternoon at Bhairav, Bangladesh. 100+ spot dead and thousands injured. Pray for Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/BZeLTQprMI
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Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
