Road crashes kill 64 in 9 months in Cumilla

Representational image

A total of 64 road accidents have claimed 64 lives during the first 9 months of the year (Jan-Sep) in Cumilla district, reports UNB.

Purbachal highway police confirmed the matter and said 19 cases were filed over the accidents.

Lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of accident in past few months, said Md Nazrul Islam, police superintendent of Purbachal-Cumilla highway.

“We are conducting regular drives against vehicles without proper fitness to minimise the number of road mishaps,” he said.

Besides, according to highway police 61 road accidents occurred on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in the past nine months killing 54 people and injuring 75 others.

Seventeen cases have been filed over the road crashes.

Road accidents in Bangladesh are still one of the leading causes of deaths as 37,170 people were killed in 26,902 accidents across the country in the last five years.

Besides, 82,758 people were injured in these accidents, according to a report released by Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS), a passenger welfare body, marking the National Roads Safety Day on 22 October.

According to the report, 8,642 people were killed and 21,855 injured in 6,581 road accidents in 2015 alone.