One train was stopped at the station when the second ploughed into it from behind, leaving mangled carriages stacked on top of each other. Rescue workers and local people pulled survivors from the wreckage.

"We are still trying to clear the tracks but heavy rain is hampering the effort," district police chief Akkas Uddin Bhuiyan told AFP, confirming three people had died in hospital overnight.

More than 40 people remain in hospital, many with severe injuries.

The accident occurred in Narshingdi, 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Dhaka, on Wednesday afternoon.

An investigation into the cause of the crash has already been launched.

Amrito Baroi, Narshingdi chief administrator, said the brakes on the approaching train may have failed.sdfsfsfsfdfgdgdgdgfdgfdgdg