A freight train has hit a passenger train outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, leaving at least 15 people dead and scores more injured.

Rescuers joined local residents in extracting people from the wreckage of the train carriages, according to fire official Mosharraf Hossain at Bhairab, in the central district of Kishoreganj, where the collision happened at 3.30pm.

He said the bodies of at least 15 people had been recovered and the number of casualties could increase.

“Our people are working there. It’s a chaotic situation. We don’t have much information for now,” he told The Associated Press by phone.

He said the crash occurred when the Dhaka-bound Godhuli Express collided head on with a cargo train heading to Chattogram.

It was unclear how many people were still trapped in the wreckage.

Train service to other parts of the country were suspended following the accident.

Railway accidents are common in Bangladesh, blamed mainly on unsupervised crossings, poor signalling and bad track conditions.