17 die in bus crash

Two speeding buses collided head-on in northern Bangladesh today, killing at least 17 people and injuring dozens, police said.

The accident occurred in Tangail district, 45 miles north of national capital Dhaka, said a police official.

Rescuers pulled 17 bodies from the wreckage of the two buses and took dozens of injured to hospital, the official said.

Nearly 5,000 people die in road accidents each year in Bangladesh due to faulty vehicles, unskilled drivers and lax laws, authorities say.