322 people killed in 315 road accidents during Eid: Jatri Kalyan Samity

Eid-ul-Fitr holidays witnessed 315 road accidents in Bangladesh, leaving 322 people dead and 826 injured, according to a report by Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform.

General Secretary of Jatri Kalyan Samity Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury presented the findings at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters unity (DRU) in the capital on Wednesday.

During the 15 days Eid vacation starting from 24 March to 7 April, there were 21 railway accidents that claimed the lives of 20 people, while eight were injured. Besides, four accidents on waterways left ten people dead, one injured.

In total, there were 340 accidents across road, rail and water transport, resulting in 352 deaths and 835 injuries, it said.

In 2024 Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, there were 399 road accidents, with 407 deaths and 1,398 injuries.

Compared to last year, this Eid saw a 21.05 per cent decrease in road accidents, a 20.88 per cent decrease in deaths and a 40.41 per cent decrease in injuries.

However, due to the extended Eid holidays, the Eid journey has become comfortable as well as the number of accidents and casualties have decreased slightly, according to the organisation's observation.

Besides, it also mentioned that due to the disorder in public transport, many poor people were forced to travel on top of buses, on train roofs, in open trucks and cargo vehicles during Eid, risking their lives.

The report also highlighted that motorcycles were the primary cause of accidents during this Eid.

There were 135 motorcycle accidents, resulting in 151 deaths and 155 injuries.

The report indicates that among those who lost their lives in road accidents were 70 drivers, 47 transport workers, 50 pedestrians, 60 women, 40 children, 33 students, 20 law enforcement members, six teachers, four political party activists and one journalist.

Accident analysis revealed that motorcycles were involved in 32.27 per cent of the accidents, buses in 16.56 per cent, battery-operated rickshaws in 14.86 per cent, trucks and covered vans in 14.43 per cent, cars and microbuses in 8.06 per cent, human hauler in 7.21 per cent and CNG-powered auto-rickshaws in 6.58 per cent.

The highest percentage – 38.41 per cent -- of road crashes took place on national highways, 21.26 per cent on regional highways and 34.60 per cent on feeder roads, says the report.

Besides, 3.49 per cent of accidents occurred in Dhaka city, 0.63 per cent in Chattogram city and 1.58 per cent at rail crossings.

Mozammel also praised the interim-government’s decision to extend holiday that allowed people to travel home in phases, leading to more comfortable journeys and fewer accidents.