Five killed as passenger train in Bangladesh catches fire, police suspect arson

A passenger train in Bangladesh caught fire on Friday (Jan 5), claiming the lives of at least five people in an alleged arson attack ahead of the national elections. At least four coaches of the train caught fire on the Benapole Express at the time it was arriving in the capital city of Dhaka from Jessore, said fire service officer Rakjibul Hasan.

"We have recovered five bodies," police commander Khandaker Al Moin told reporters.

The incident took place at Gopibagh, which is an old part of Dhaka and is close to the megacity's primary rail terminal, according to the witnesses.

An unnamed rescuer told private broadcaster Somoy TV that hundreds of people had immediately rushed to pull out the ones trapped inside the burning train.

"We rescued many. But the fire spread quickly," he said.

According to Somoy TV, some Indians were also onboard the train.

Police chief Anwar Hossain, without giving much details about the incident told news agency AFP that the fire incident was an "act of sabotage".

"We suspect the fire incident was an act of sabotage," Hossain said.

In the month of December, the police and the government condemned the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for another train fire which killed four people.

The BNP had at that time rebuffed the accusations and denied involvement in the incident.

It had stated that the government was unfairly putting the blame on it as an excuse to crack down on opposition parties.

Bangladesh is set to go into polls on Sunday (Jan 7) however, the BNP and other opposition parties have boycotted the national elections dubbing it as a "sham" vote.

Lateyear, thousands of opposition activists werearrested after they staged a demonstration demanding the arrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

(With inputs from agencies)