322 killed in 315 road crashes during Eid: Jatri Kalyan Samity

At least 322 people were killed in 315 road accidents across the country while travelling during the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity said today.

At least 826 more people were also injured in the accidents during the 15-day journey between March 24 and April 7, the passenger rights platform said.

In total, 340 accidents occurred across roads, railways, and waterways, leaving total 352 people dead and 835 injured, it added.

Jatri Kalyan Samity's Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury unveiled the statistics at Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium today.

Compared to the previous year, road accidents during this Eid decreased by 21.05 percent, fatalities by 20.88 percent, and injuries by 40.41 percent.

According to the report, like previous years, motorcycles were found to be more accident-prone mode of transport.

during this Eid, 135 motorcycle-related accidents resulted in 151 deaths and 155 injuries—accounting for approximately 42.85 percent of all road accidents, 46.89 percent of all deaths, and 18.76 percent of all injuries.

An analysis of the reported accidents showed that motorcycles were involved in 32.27 percent among the vehicles, followed by buses at 16.56 percent, battery-powered rickshaws at 14.86 percent, trucks and covered vans at 14.43 percent, private cars and microbuses at 8.06 percent, Nasimon–Karimon vehicles at 7.21 percent, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws at 6.58 percent.

On waterways, four accidents resulted in 10 deaths, one injury, and one person reported missing.

At least 20 people were killed and eight injured in 21 railway accidents during the period.

The organisation's accident monitoring cell prepared the report based on national and regional dailies and online news portals.

He said the number of casualties might be more than 10 times as per the information at the hospitals but they did not include it as many incidents were not reported in the media.

While presenting their findings, Mozammel said the journey of the people were smoother this year compared to any other years as the conditions of roads and highways were better and active efforts of law enforcement agencies and other authorities.