A bomb explosion outside the office of the main opposition party in Bangladesh has killed one person ahead of a 36-hour strike call by opposition parties.

Police said people inside the office of the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party in Dhaka were making a bomb which exploded accidentally.

Reports say the blast severely damaged the building, blowing out doors and windows.

Three people were arrested in connection with the incident, police said.

However, a spokesman for the Bangladeshi Nationalist Party said the police had planted the bomb in an effort to disrupt the general strike.

Two-day strike

Opposition parties have called the strike in protest at new security laws which they say could be used by the government to detain their members.

The laws give the authorities sweeping powers of arrest and detention.

Special tribunals can also swiftly try people suspected of extortion, kidnapping and arson, handing out instant and stiff sentences.

The government has said it needs the new laws to crack down on Bangladesh's growing crime rate.

Dhaka's streets are reported to be deserted as schools and businesses have been forced to shut down because of the strike.

Bangladesh's two main stock exchanges in Dhaka and Chittagong have also closed.

The opposition is using the strike to force the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and force early elections.

But the government is determined to stay in office until fresh elections are due next year.