DHAKA, Bangladesh

At least 12 people were killed and 26 others injured in a bus-train collision in the southeastern Comilla district early Sunday, fire service officials and police said.

Those dead included two women and three children, Fire Service and Civil Defense Deputy Assistant Director (Comilla) Mohammad Idris told Anadolu, and 10 of the injured remain in hospitals.

A Dhaka-bound one-up train leaving port city Chittagong collided with a bus heading towards Chittagong from western Chapainawabganj district at the Paduar Bazar rail crossing area in Comilla city.

The train dragged the bus one kilometer away.

Idris said: "We believe that the accident occurred when the bus went onto the railway line due to the lack of a signal at the Padua Bazar rail crossing."

The Bangladesh Railway formed two investigation committees to probe the accident and suspended two gatemen of the rail crossings, according to local media reports.

Bangladesh usually sees a huge rush through train stations, buses, and launch terminals, particularly in Dhaka, as people leave for villages to spend Eid vacation with families and relatives, putting a strain on the fragile transportation systems.

On March 18, about 66 people were injured when the Nilsagar Express, a major northern Bengal route train, derailed in the Bogra district's Bagbaria area.