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16 days ago

Eid journey: 249 die, 553 hurt in 257 road crashes in 11 days

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Some 257 road accidents killed 249 people and injured 553 during the 11-day Eid-ul-Fitr journey, starting from March 26.

Besides, six accidents on waterways killed 13 people and injured 15, while 17 railway-related mishaps killed 12 people and wounded eight.

A non-government organisation, the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), has compiled the data based on the naitonal newspaper and electronic media reports as well as its own monitoring before sharing it with media on Monday.

The RSF said the actual number of persons injured in road crashes would be over 2,000, but the media reported only 553.

Of the road crashes, 114 motorcycle accidents killed 106 individuals, nearly 43 per cent of the total death toll.

It was followed by 14 passengers and transport workers of bus; nine truck, pickup, tractor trolley passengers; and 18 of private vehicles.

Majority or 98 road accidents took place on regional roads, 87 on national highways, and 43 on rural roads.

Most of the accidents occurred due to drivers' loosing control over their vehicles, head-on collisions, running over pedestrians, and others.

Almost 27 per cent of the accidents took place during late afternoon, 23 per cent in morning, 21 per cent in noon, and 17 per cent in evening.

Dhaka division witnessed the highest number of accidents and fatalities, as 62 people died in 74 accidents. In the capital city, seven people were killed and 48 injured in 31 road accidents.

Divisionwise, Sylhet had the lowest number of accidents, with six people killed in seven accidents.

The RSF in its analysis said around 15 million people travelled from the capital city to their respective homes in different districts, and around 40 million people travelled within the country.

"The Eid journey was comfortable due to sufficient holidays before and after the Eid day, favourable weather, good road condition, and the government's various steps."

However, additional fares were collected on road and waterways, it added.

The RSF analysis revealed that on an average 22.63 people were killed each day during the 11-day Eid journey this year, which is a 7.48 per cent decrease in the daily number of fatalities taking place during the Eid journey last year.

In 2024, some 367 people were killed and more than 1,500 people were injured in 358 road accidents in 15 days, with an average of 24.46 people killed per day.

In the 14 days before and after the Eid-ul-Fitr in 2023, some 285 people were killed and 454 injured in 240 road accidents, with an average of 20.35 people getting killed per day.

The RSF made several recommendations to prevent road accidents, including skill development of the persons concerned, enhancing capacity of the government agencies, proper implementation of related laws, and improving infrastructure.

saif.febd@gmail.com

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