Arson on packed bus leaves seven dead

Attackers threw crude firebombs at a packed bus early on Tuesday morning, setting it alight as it moved along a Bangladesh highway. The attack left at least seven people dead and 16 injured amid a nationwide strike called by the opposition.

The pre-dawn attack, the latest in a surge in political violence, came as the bus traveled from the coastal city of Cox's Bazar to the capital, Dhaka, said Uttam Chakrabarty, police chief in the Comilla district where the bombing occurred. The area is about 90 kilometers east of the capital.

He blamed opposition activists for the attack, but they have denied any involvement.