At least four killed in Bangladesh train fire before elections
Al Jazeera
Police officials in Dhaka suspect an arson attack and said they are seeking out the culprits.
At least four people have been killed and others injured in Bangladesh after a passenger train caught fire in a suspected arson attack, according to police officials.
The incident on Friday adds to a tense environment in the country in advance of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, which the opposition is seeking to boycott and disrupt with a general strike.
Fire service officer Rakjibul Hasan said that at about 9pm (15:00 GMT), at least four coaches caught fire on the Benapole Express, which was arriving in the capital Dhaka from the western city of Jessore. The fire rapidly raced through the train.
Residents initially tried to put the fire out, before seven fire engines joined the extinguishing efforts, Khandaker al-Moin of the Rapid Action Battalion unit of the police said at the scene. It took nearly two hours to douse the blaze, he said.
Mohid Uddin, deputy chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, described the incident as act of planned sabotage to create panic among the citizens before the elections.
