5 dead in Bangladesh train fire, police suspect arson ahead of tomorrow’s polls

Guwahati: Five people have lost their lives in Bangladesh after a passenger train caught fire on Friday night at around 9 pm.

The Bangladesh police are suspecting an arson attack during unrest ahead of national elections to be held on Sunday which is boycotted by the opposition.

The fire service officer Rakjibul Hasan said at least four coaches caught fire on the Benapole Express, arriving in the capital Dhaka from the western city of Jessore.

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

Witnesses said the train caught fire at Gopibagh, in an old part of Dhaka near the megacity's main rail terminal.

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

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

Somoy TV said some Indian citizens were also traveling on the train.

“We suspect the fire incident was an act of sabotage,” police chief Anwar Hossain told AFP, without giving more details.

A lot of untoward incidents have been happening in the country leading to the elections to be held on Sunday.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called for a boycott of the polls as they describe everything to be a “sham” vote.

Thousands of opposition activists were arrested late last year after a protest campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.