BANGLADESH

At least five people have been killed and two others injured after a train has ploughed through a car at a railway level crossing at Barabkunda in Sitakunda.

All the deceased are the officials of the state-owned vehicle-assembling company Pragoti Industries.

"The collision took place between Chandpur-bound Karnaphuli Express and the jeep owned by Progati Industries around 11am on Wednesday," Mohammed Arifur Rahman, sub-inspector of Kumira highway police camp, told bdnews24.com.

He said that all the victims were from the car.

All of them--Progati accounts officer Tofayel Ahmed, assistant marketing officer Saleh Ahmed, security officer Ahsan Ullah, driver 'Morshed'and official Badal Barua—died at the scene.

One of the injured was identified as the company's security officer Abdul Barek.

The locals halted the train to move on after the accident. The police had to intervene to free the train.

Arifur added that the gate of the crossing was open on the side the car was coming from.

The gate at the other side was closed. The train dragged the car a few hundred yards before it stopped, he said.

The Barubkunda plant of the company is located very close to the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. The level-crossing is on the path joining the company and the highway.

"The jeep was going to a bank in Sitakunda for some official work," the company's accounts officer Shafiqur Rahman told.