253 lives lost in accidents during Eid vacation

A total of 11 people, including six of a family, were killed in road accidents in Cumilla, Laxmipur and in the city on Saturday night and Sunday.

This is in addition to 253 people killed in road accidents in 12 days from August 6 to August 17 during the Eid vacation.

According to UNB, at least eight people, including six members of a family, were killed and another was injured as a bus crashed into an auto-rickshaw on the Cumilla-Noakhali regional highway at Jamtola in Lalmai upazila on Sunday noon.

The deceased were identified as Jashim Uddin, 47, a hotel owner, his mother Sakhina Begum, 70, wife Selina Begum, 42, two sons-Shipon, 22, and Hridoy, 18, and daughter Nipu Akter, 13, their hotel staff Saimun Hossain hailing from Nangalkot upazila, and auto-rickshaw driver Jamal Hossain, 22, of Laksam upazila in the district.

Family's youngest member Rifat, 8, who is now the lone one, survived the accident with severe injuries. He was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment.

The bus smashed the CNG-run auto-rickshaw around 12 pm, leaving five three-wheeler passengers dead on the spot and four others injured, said Md Badrul Alam Talukdar, officer-in-charge of Lalmai Police Station.

In Laxmipur, a college student was killed as his motorbike fell into a roadside ditch on the JB Road in the municipality area on Sunday morning.

The deceased was identified as Ibrahim, son of Abul Khayar of the municipality area and a first year student of HSC of Dalal Bazar Degree College.

Md Azizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said Ibrahim's family bought the new motorcycle for him on Saturday afternoon although he was not experienced in driving the vehicle.

In Dhaka city two people were killed in road accidents at Turag and Uttar Badda areas on Saturday night and Sunday.

Shahidul Islam, 45, son of late Saidul Islam of Charikumarpara in Kamalkanda upazila of Netrakona district, was killed in a road accident at Uttar Badda in the city on Sunday.

Locals found Shahidul critically injured being hit by an unknown vehicle under Badda over bridge around 7:30 am, said Inspector Bachchu Mia of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police camp.

Later, he was taken to DMCH where doctors declared him dead.

In another incident, an unidentified sexagenarian woman was injured after being hit by a bus of 'Ekata Paribahan' at Kamarpara in Turag area around 11 pm on Saturday.

She was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared her dead.

An FE report adds: As many as 253 people were killed in 244 road, rail and waterway accidents across the country during Eid journey.

The accidents taking place in a period of 12 days from August 06 to August 17 also left 866 people injured.

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS), a passengers' welfare platform, revealed the figures at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity citing its recent report on transport accidents.

Secretary General of the organisation Mozammel Haque Chowdhury presented the findings at the conference on Sunday.

According to the BJKS, of the total accidents 203 occurred on the highways.

Of the total 203 road accidents, 33 per cent involved motorcycles that took 77 lives and left 73 wounded, the report said.

In 52.21 per cent road accidents, vehicle ran over pedestrians.

During the journey centring Eid-ul-azha this year, the number of road accidents decreased by 6.40 per cent, death toll by 6.20 per cent and injuries by 1.50 per cent than that of the previous year.

Road accidents monitoring cell of the BJKS prepared the report based on news published in local and national media.

During the recent Eid journey, 13 people were killed in railway related accidents and 16 in various types of waterway accidents.

The BJKS observed that most of the accidents occurred mainly due to reckless driving, use of unfit vehicles, denial of highway guidelines and unskilled drivers.

The other factors included driving for long without rest, unabated movement of three wheelers on highways, unavailability of footpath and lax monitoring by the agencies concerned.

The organisation also presented a set of 12-point recommendations including modernisation of overall transportation system and initiatives to train up the transport workers to help minimise the number of accidents.

It also called for strengthening monitoring on highways during the journey -- both before and after Eid, banning motorcycles for Eid-journey and creating separate lanes for the slow-moving vehicles.

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