Road mishaps claimed 413 lives last month

At least 413 people were killed and 532 were injured in 379 road accidents across the country in November, Road Safety Foundation, a non-government organisation, said on Saturday.

Among the deceased, 67 were women and 58 were children, said a press release of the foundation.

A total of 184 people died in 158 motorcycle accidents, which accounted for 41.68 percent of the total deaths, the press release said.

Meanwhile, four others including a police constable and a private university student killed in separate mishaps in Dhaka and Chittagram on Saturday.

Some 96 pedestrians and 53 drivers and helpers were killed in accidents during this period.

At least nine people were killed and five remained missing in seven waterway accidents while 13 were killed and two injured in 11 train accidents.

Road Safety Foundation collected the data based on reports in seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media.

According to division-wise breakup, Dhaka division saw maximum number of road accidents while Barishal witnessed the minimum accidents.

A total of 104 people was killed in 83 accidents in Dhaka and 24 were killed in 22 accidents in Barishal.

The foundation identified 10 main reasons behind the accidents that include unfit vehicles, speed, unskilled drivers, slow-moving transport on highways, reckless motorcycle driving and weak traffic management.     

The organisation also placed 10 recommendations to reduce accidents across the country.

Triangular crash leaves 3 dead in Ctg

At least three people were killed and several others were injured as a train collided with a bus and a CNG-run autorickshaw at Jautala rail crossing in Khulshi area in Chattogram on Saturday. Two of the deceased were identified as Md Monir Hossain, 30, constable of Traffic North zone of Chattogram Metropolitan Police and Bahaduddin Ahmed, 34.

Constable Monir was killed on the spot while the rest died from their injuries while undergoing treatment at hospital.

The accident took place as a train hit the bus and CNG-run autorickshaw at the rail crossing at about 10:45am, said local people.

Sub-inspector Nurul Alam Ashek of Chattogram Medical College Hospital police outpost, told New Age that one was killed and dozens were injured in the train accident at Khulshi.

The injured were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Railway authorities and Railway police formed two committees to investigate the incident, said officials.

Railway authorities formed a four-member committee headed by assistant transportation officer Md Maniruzzaman of railway east zone.

Railway police formed a three-member committee headed by additional superintendent Abdul Gafur of Chattogram railway police.

Varsity student dies in city road mishap

Meanwhile, A private university student was killed in a road accident at Uttara in Dhaka on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Mahadi Hassan Limon, 21, son of Mojammel Haque of village Domdoma Pashchim in Joyourhat.

The victim’s family said that Mahadi was run over by a truck in front of Padma Oil Company in Kaola area of Uttara at about 11:30pm while returning to his house from Jhikatola.

Bimanbandar police station sub-inspector Asaduzzaman rescued him and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

DHCH police camp in-charge Bachchu Miah said that the body was kept at the hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.

The police seized the killer truck but its driver and his assistant were absconding, he added.

The accident took place amid the ongoing demonstrations staged by students of Bangladesh for safe roads.

Hundreds of students took to the streets in Dhaka on November 24, 2021, demanding safe roads after a Notre Dame College student was ran over and killed by a Dhaka South City Corporation garbage truck on the same day.

The student protests got intensified after, Mainuddin Islam, Secondary School Certificate examinee from Ekramunnesa Boys’ High School, was run over and killed by a bus of Anabil Paribahan at Rampura in Dhaka on November 29.

Two college students were killed by a truck in Bogura’s Sherpur on November 30, while a first-grade student was injured in another road accident in Dhaka’s Savar area on December 1.