Dhaka, Jan. 6 (Reuters): Around 60 people were feared killed when a bus packed with some 100 passengers crashed on a highway and caught fire southeast of Dhaka, today.

Witnesses said the bus was travelling from Dhaka to Chittagong port city, carrying passengers leaving the capital ahead of a transport blockade due to begin tomorrow. The crash occurred near Comilla town, 100 km from Dhaka, as the bus avoided a taxi coming from the opposite direction, witnesses said.

The gas cylinder on the compressed natural gas-run bus exploded, triggering the fire, they said. Police said nearly 20 charred bodies were retrieved from the bus but many bodies were still inside the vehicle.