Border guard mutiny in Bangladesh

One person has been killed and at least six people have been wounded in a mutiny at border guards headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, reports say.

Heavy fighting started at 0330 GMT and is still going on. An army helicopter patrolling above the barracks was fired at, and mortar rounds were also fired.

One soldier was heard addressing the mutineers by megaphone, saying they should fight the army "by any means".

It comes a day after PM Sheikh Hasina visited the HQ to hand out medals.

She is featured in photographs on the front page of some local newspapers, saluting the border guards.

The area has been sealed off

Local media have speculated that the revolt is over pay and working conditions.

There is a heavy army and police presence at the scene, in the centre of the capital. The streets have been cleared and shops have been closed.

There has been no indication that this is a coup, says the BBC's correspondent in Dhaka, Mark Dummett, who is at the scene.

A government source told the BBC that a curfew would be announced later.

Complex sealed

One soldier was heard over a loud megaphone, saying: "Brothers, let's stay together. The army is trying to come in, and we will stop them by any means."

Officials at Dhaka's Medical College Hospital said one civilian had been killed. At least six people have also been wounded, although it is not clear whether any of them are soldiers.

A large plume of smoke can be seen rising above a conference room inside the barracks in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, our correspondent says.

Local media reports say that is where the mutineers have locked up their officers.

Police were not being allowed to enter the complex.

There were reports that troops also stormed out of the complex and seized the nearby shopping centre.

The government is said to have urged the mutineers to lay down their arms.