168 killed in road crashes during Eid rush

149 road accidents took place across the country during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays despite a lockdown for coronavirus pandemic, leaving at least 168 people dead and 283 others injured, according to a report published on Friday (June 5).

In total, 185 were killed in 156 accidents on all three systems of the public transportation including road, railway and waterway, said the report.

Jatri Kalyan Samity General Secretary Mozammel Haque Chowdhury highlighted this information while presenting the Road Accident Report-2020 before and after the Eid at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium in the capital today.

The association compiled the figures monitoring the media reports during 13 days between May 19 and May 31.

According to the report, the organisation has been monitoring the issue of road accidents, and overcharging and harassment of passengers for a long time as the number of Eid-centric road accidents sees an alarming increase every year.

Mozammel Haque said about 90 percent of the passengers avoided Eid travelling this year. In comparison, the number of accidents has increased.

The passengers' welfare platform said, at least 17 people were killed and 45 went missing in six waterways-related accidents in between May 19 and May 31.

No casualties were reported in one train-related accident in this time, the organisation said.

This year the Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on May 25 when a ban on all public transports on roads, railways and waterways continued.

The government only allowed public movement on private vehicles during the Eid festival.

The highest number of road accidents occurred on Eid day when 21 people were killed and 48 were injured in 20 accidents, the report said.

Among the road-accident victims, 45 were drivers, 28 pedestrians, 27 other transport workers, 24 children, 19 were students, 5 leaders and activists of different political parties, 3 teachers, 3 members of law enforcement agencies, 3 journalists and an engineer.


Dhaka/Mamun/AI