Syndicates blamed as Eid road toll reaches 351

Bangladesh’s roads became increasingly dangerous during the Eid-ul-Fitr travel rush, with at least 351 people killed and 1,046 injured over a 15-day period, according to a report released by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.

The report, covering March 14 to 28, pointed to a sharp rise in fatalities that the organisation’s Secretary General, Md Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, said was deeply concerning and required urgent attention from authorities.

“If we compare casualty figures from recent conflicts in some parts of the world over the past 15 days, the number of deaths from road crashes in Bangladesh is alarmingly high,” Mozammel said at a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday.

Based on media monitoring, the report recorded a total of 394 deaths and 1,288 injuries in 377 combined incidents across roads, railways and waterways during the period. Motorcycle accidents accounted for a significant share of the casualties, with 125 incidents resulting in 135 deaths and 114 injuries, representing nearly 39 per cent of total road fatalities.

The transport sector also recorded 23 railway accidents that claimed 35 lives, while eight waterway incidents left eight people dead and three missing.

The scale of injuries was reflected at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), where 2,178 patients were admitted for treatment during the same period.

Among vehicles involved in road accidents, motorcycles accounted for 27 per cent, followed by trucks and vans at 18 per cent and buses at 16 per cent. Head-on collisions and pedestrian-related incidents were among the most common causes.

National highways accounted for 43 per cent of the accidents, which Mozammel attributed to gaps in planning and coordination.

He also expressed concern over the absence of passenger representatives in Eid coordination meetings, alleging that transport owners and workers’ groups held significant influence in decision-making processes.

Mozammel further noted that fare irregularities and weak traffic management contributed to the overall disorder in the transport sector, calling for stronger oversight and improved coordination to ensure passenger safety.