8 killed in separate road crashes in Faridpur

At least eight people, including a woman and a child, were killed and 10 others injured in separate road accidents in Madhukhali and Bhanga Upazilas of Faridpur district on Sunday.

In Madhukhali Upazila, six people, including a woman and a child, were killed when a truck hit a microbus on Dhaka-Khulna highway at Majhkandi in Madhukhali Upazila of Faridpur district on Sunday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

The accident occurred around 9 am when the truck hit the Dhaka-bound microbus from Magura, leaving two people killed on the spot and 14 others injured, said Mohamamd Russell, assistant sub-inspector of Kanaipur Highway police camp.

The injured were taken to a local hospital where doctors declared four of them dead. Police seized the truck but the trucker managed to flee the scene.

Besides, two students were killed when a private car hit a motorbike at Biswaroad in Bhanga Upazila headquarters early Sunday.

Road accidents in Bangladesh

Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year. At least 484 people were killed and 673 injured in 427 road accidents in January this year.

According to Road Safety Foundation (RSF), the accident rate increased by 25.58 percent while fatalities by 8.76 percent in January this year compared to the same period last year.

At least 445 lives were lost in 340 road accidents in January 2020, according to the RSF. In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank said Bangladesh needs to invest an estimated extra $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities.

The report attributed the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads to a lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programs.

Source: UNB