Despite relatively empty roads during the Eid holidays, the risk of accidents has surged across the country. A toll of road fatalities has been reported from various districts, with more than 200 people losing their lives in the past five days.
According to preliminary statistics from the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti (BJKS), at least 216 people have been killed and 421 injured in 201 road accidents during this year's Eid holidays, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, 1,621 people were admitted to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), commonly known as Pangu Hospital in Dhaka, after being injured in various transport-related accidents during the Eid period last week. Among the fatalities, 178 occurred in motorcycle accidents and 315 in battery-powered auto-rickshaw accidents, the report added.
BJKS Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said that technical faults, poor road and vehicle management, and weak law enforcement are the main causes of these accidents. "We need to adopt the technologies used in developed countries to reduce accidents. It is also important to curb risky practices and ensure proper enforcement," he said.
In Cumilla, a devastating collision between a passenger bus and the Chittagong Mail train in Jangalia, Kochua, early Sunday left at least 12 people dead and around 20 others injured.
Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam of the EPZ outpost said the Mamun Paribahan bus was crushed in the accident, killing several passengers on the spot. The victims included seven men, three women, and two children.
In Jashore, three members of a family were killed in a tragic road accident in Monirampur early Tuesday, around 2:30 am, while returning from a relative's house in Chuadanga. The accident occurred when a private car lost control on the Jhenaidah-Magura road in the Gaidghat area and crashed into a roadside banyan tree.
Barobazar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Alamgir Kabir confirmed the incident. The deceased were identified as Mahmud Hasan Zakaria Jony, 43, an internet businessman; his father, Abdul Majid Sardar, 75, a former director of Palli Bidyut Samiti-2; and Jony's four-year-old daughter, Sheherish.
Three others-Jony's mother Monowara Begum, 60; his wife Sabrina Jahan, 30; and their son Samin Almas, 10-were seriously injured and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
In Habiganj, a pickup van carrying household furniture lost control and fell into a roadside ditch on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Madhabpur upazila, killing three men and one woman. Officer-in-Charge Sohel Rana of Madhabpur Police Station said police and Fire Service personnel recovered the bodies.
In Feni, multiple accidents were reported on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Around 4:00 am on Sunday, three people were killed and at least five injured in the Rampur area. An ambulance slowed down due to road repairs and was hit by a motorcycle, after which a Shyamoli Paribahan bus crashed into them from behind.
In Pabna, a 27-year-old engineer, Julfikar Jillu, was killed in a car accident just a day before his wedding on Sunday. While driving to pick up family members, his vehicle lost control and rammed into a parked truck in Garmati, leaving the car wedged underneath. Bonpara Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam confirmed the incident.
In Kishoreganj, two motorcyclists-Bijoy, 18, and Zabir Hossain, 18-were killed and another injured after a poultry-laden pickup van struck them on the Kishoreganj-Bhairab highway on Sunday.
In Cox's Bazar, Md Anis, 30, died in a collision between a tourist vehicle and a motorcycle on Shahparir Dwip Road in Teknaf upazila on Sunday.
In Naogaon, a 12-year-old boy, Md Hridoy, died when a locally made vehicle (locally known as "bhotbhoti") overturned into a pond during Eid celebrations in Raninagar upazila on Saturday. At least five others were injured.
In Sunamganj, two friends-Shafiqul Islam, 30, and Saidul Islam, 30-were killed and another, Gulzar Ahmed, 29, injured when their motorcycle lost control and hit a roadside tree in the Gagli area under Shantiganj upazila on Sunday. They had been returning from a tourist spot.
In a separate incident, Shariful Islam, 30, a switchboard attendant at Sadarpur Ojopadiko in Faridpur, was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a tree in Kotalipara, Gopalganj, on Eid day.
