DHAKA, July 11: At least 33 people were killed and 20 severely injured as an express train rammed into a bus at a level-crossing in the northern district of Jaipurhat on Tuesday.

The accident happened when the Khulna-bound ‘Rupsha Express’ train from Parbatipur knocked down a Jaipurhat-bound bus, which had been stuck on the railway tracks as its engine went out of order.

“The bus was completely smashed as the train ripped through it, and a big portion of the vehicle tumbled into a ditch,” said a police official.

Nineteen people, including women and children, died on the spot, while 14 others died either on their way to or at Joypurhat Adhunik Hospital.