254 killed, 696 hurt in road accidents during Eid: Report

At least 254 people were killed and 696 injured in 214 road accidents across the country in 13 days during Eid-ul-Azha, says a report of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity released yesterday.

Overall, 322 people were killed and 759 injured in 272 road, rail and waterway accidents across the country from August 28 to September 9, the report said.

The report says that 63 people were killed in the 15 accidents on water routes, while 43 were killed in rail accidents during this period. The secretary general of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, presented the report at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital. Former chairman of the Public Service Commission Ikram Ahmed, senior journalist Abu Syeed Khan and joint secretary of the Sarak Paribahan Sramik League Hanif Khokon were present on the occasion. The report says road accidents during the Eid vacation increased this year compared to previous years.

Last year, at least 248 people were killed and 1,056 injured in road accidents. Waterway accidents took a toll of 10 lives last year, but 25 people have been killed in such accidents this year.

Last year, seven people were killed in road accidents, but this year the number rose to 43 in 15 accidents, according to the report.

The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity identified seven major causes behind the road accidents: dilapidated roads; over-speeding by drivers; risky overtaking; pressure mounted by owners of commercial vehicles to complete trips quickly; plying of different types of vehicles like cattle-laden trucks; Nasimon, Karimon and Bhotbhot, easy bikes, auto-rickshaws, battery-run rickshaws, microbuses, private cars and motorcycles on the same road; and encroached pavements forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets.

Analysing the nature road accidents, the report says pedestrians were run over by vehicles in 39.10 per cent of the cases and drivers lost control in 12.60 per cent of the cases.

254 killed, 696 hurt in road accidents during Eid: Report

At least 254 people were killed and 696 injured in 214 road accidents across the country in 13 days during Eid-ul-Azha, says a report of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity released yesterday. Overall, 322 people were killed and 759 injured in 272 road, rail and waterway accidents across the country from August 28 to September 9, the report said. The report says that 63 people were killed in the 15 accidents on water routes, while 43 were killed in rail accidents during this period. The secretary general of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, presented the report at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital. Former chairman of the Public Service Commission Ikram Ahmed, senior journalist Abu Syeed Khan and joint secretary of the Sarak Paribahan Sramik League Hanif Khokon were present on the occasion. The report says road accidents during the Eid vacation increased this year compared to previous years. Last year, at least 248 people were killed and 1,056 injured in road accidents. Waterway accidents took a toll of 10 lives last year, but 25 people have been killed in such accidents this year. Last year, seven people were killed in road accidents, but this year the number rose to 43 in 15 accidents, according to the report. The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity identified seven major causes behind the road accidents: dilapidated roads; over-speeding by drivers; risky overtaking; pressure mounted by owners of commercial vehicles to complete trips quickly; plying of different types of vehicles like cattle-laden trucks; Nasimon, Karimon and Bhotbhot, easy bikes, auto-rickshaws, battery-run rickshaws, microbuses, private cars and motorcycles on the same road; and encroached pavements forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets. Analysing the nature road accidents, the report says pedestrians were run over by vehicles in 39.10 per cent of the cases and drivers lost control in 12.60 per cent of the cases.