According to authorities, 17 people have been killed and many others injured in an accident involving two trains in eastern Bangladesh.

On Monday afternoon, a freight train smashed into the rear coaches of a passenger train in Bhairab, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Dhaka.

The collision likely resulted from a signal error, according to a railway official who declined to give his name

As a result of Monday’s collision at the Jagannathpur rail crossing, three carriages of the passenger train named Egarsindhur Twilight overturned, killing 14 people on board. Coaches were smashed in at least two places.

A number of people were trapped inside after the collision. Most of them died on the spot, according to Mohammad Masud, chief of the local fire service.

About 50 injured people are being treated at the hospital where three others died. Dhaka Railway Police Superintendent Anowar Hossain told reporters that the death toll could rise further as rescue operations continue.

Locals came forward to help before rescue teams arrived, according to a local government official.

Medical staff at the hospital struggled to deal with the influx of injured, so they called for reinforcements from nearby hospitals.

The Bangladeshi authorities have launched a formal investigation into the accident’s cause.

Previous accidents have also been attributed to poor track conditions and unsupervised rail crossings.

There were several injuries when a Dhaka-bound passenger train collided with a freight train in Comilla, south of Bhairab, in April.