Cumilla, April 1 -- When a speeding train slammed into a bus at Padua Bazar in Cumilla killing 12 people recently, it was not just another accident-it was a stark reminder of a long-ignored danger along Cumilla's railway tracks.

Unprotected and poorly managed level crossings across Cumilla have turned into deadly traps.

Over 350 lives in the past five years and leaving over a thousand others injured, said Md Jashim Uddin, Laksham railway police station Officer-in-Charge.

The tragedy was not an isolated incident it was yet another reminder of a long-standing crisis.

Spread across a 102-kilometre rail network, the district has more than 150 authorised and unauthorised crossings.

Many of them lack basic safety system, making accidents-b...