Two speeding trains collided in eastern Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people and injuring 58 others on Tuesday, officials said.

Local police chief Shayamal Kanti Das said the collision took place early Tuesday when Udayan Express and Turna Nishita trains approached on the same track from opposite directions in Brahmanbaria district.

Three coaches were sent tumbling off the tracks at Mondolbhag station in the town of Kasba when a Dhaka-bound intercity train and a locomotive bound for Chittagong collided.

The area is 82 kilometers (51 miles) east of the capital, Dhaka.

Das said authorities were trying to ascertain how many were injured.

"At least 15 people have been killed. And another 58 were injured. We have sent the injured to different hospitals in the region," local police chief Anisur Rahman told AFP.

He said train services out of Dhaka had been halted after the accident.

The circumstances surrounding the accident were under investigation, a railway official told reporters.

TV footage showed fire service rescuers were pulling bodies from the twisted coaches and using body bags to send the bodies to hospital morgues.

Train accidents are common in Bangladesh and are often caused by poor signaling or other rundown infrastructure.