Bystanders look on after a train collided with another train in Brahmanbaria some 130 kms from Dhaka on November 12, 2019. (Photo:VCG)

Authorities said negligence caused a head-on collision between two trains that killed 16 people early Tuesday in Bangladesh.

The deadly accident snapped Bangladeshi capital Dhaka's rail links with southeastern seaport city Chattogram and northeastern Sylhet town.

The trains, packed with people many of whom were sleeping, collided while crossing Mondobagh station in Brahmanbaria district, 109 km northeast of capital Dhaka.

"The death toll stands at 16 including 12 on the spot," the district's police chief Mohammad Anisur Rahman told Xinhua. No foreigner was involved in this fatal accident, said Rahman.

At least 55 accident victims were reportedly admitted in five hospitals.

Bangladeshi Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said the driver of the locomotive of one of the trains, Turna Nishita Express, is responsible for the accident.

He said five probe committees have been formed to investigate the incident.

Mia Jahan, a senior Bangladeshi railways official, said primary investigation found that the Turna Nishita's driver ignored the signal while Udayan Express was entering the loop line from the main line after receiving the signal.

Against this backdrop, he said they suspended three of the staff including loco driver and assistant loco driver of the Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita Express from Chattogram which rammed into another intercity train Chattogram-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet.

Expressing deep shock and sorrow over the train accident, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the relevant authorities to take measures to stop recurrence of the train mishap.

She also stressed the need for providing proper training to improve rail staff and officials' efficiency.

Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates in train accidents.

There are many unmanned level crossings along the Bangladesh railway across the country, where most of the railway tracks are in a dilapidated condition. These often cause accidents.