Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on Saturday escaped an assassination bid when a string of explosions rocked an opposition rally addressed by her here, killing at least 14 people and injuring about 300 others.

The explosions took place as Sheikh Hasina finished addressing the rally organised by her party Awami League to protest recent bombings in northeastern shrine city of Sylhet, witnesses said.

A private television Channel I put the death toll at 14, while the official BSS newsagency said 13 people were killed of which eight have so far been identified.

Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil said Sheikh Hasina was the target of the blasts but she was safe, thanks to Allah.

Among the dead were three women, private ATN Bangla television channel reported, adding the injured included the party's members of parliament.

Some of the senior Awami League leaders, MPs, including Suranjit Sen Gupta and Abdur Rassak, were among those injured and officials at local hospital said the toll could go up as some of the wounded persons were in serious condition.

The channel showed the footage of three dead men at the Dhaka Medical College hospital where total chaos prevailed and two unexpoloded grenades near the venue of the rally in front of the main Awami League office in downtown Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina later told BBC television that she was protected by her supporters, some of whom were killed.

"When the attackers started hurling grenades towards the makeshift podium in a lorry, my workers saved me by sacrificing their lives," she said.

She called for the government to resign for failing to protect innocent people.

No one has yet admitted to carrying out the attack.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia condemned the 'dastardly attack on a political rally', and said her government will try to find those responsible.

"Let us all work together to prevent repeat of such cowardly attacks," she said in a statement.