There is still no respite from fatal road accidents that are costing lives of many people on different roads and highways across the country.
Meanwhile, four passengers of a battery-operated auto-rickshaw were killed after being hit by a truck in Jamalpur on Friday. Five others were also seriously injured in the accident.
The deceased are Solaiman (55), son of Yusuf Ali of Kandarpara village of Etail union of the upazila, Sudur Ali's son Abdul Majeed (48), Sobhan Ali's son Zainal (42), auto-rickshaw driver Zainal and Shahed Ali (55).
According to local and police sources, a truck was heading towards Mymensingh from Jamalpur city on Friday afternoon.
In Ranagacha area on the Jamalpur-Mymensingh regional highway, the truck rammed the auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite direction.
The auto-rickshaw driver and passengers were seriously injured. The injured were rescued and taken to Jamalpur General Hospital. Solaiman and Abdul Majeed died instantly. As the condition of four others deteriorated, they were taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital and two of them, including auto-rickshaw driver Zainal, died there.
The victims were going to neighboring Sherpur in an auto-rickshaw from Etail. Jamalpur Sadar police station officer-in-charge (OC) confirmed the news.
In another incident, one Emdad Hossain was killed in a road accident in Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj on Friday when he was going to his native village with his father’s body.
His father Delwar Hossain died while undergoing treatment in a hospital in the capital.
Police said Delwar’s body was taken in an ambulance and the family members, including his son Emdad Hossain, were going by another microbus.
On the way to Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj, a vehicle hit the microbus from behind.
Emdad of Miyapur village of Begumganj in Noakhali, died on the spot and three others were also injured in the accident.
A report by the Road Safety Foundation said a total of 408 people, including 67 women and 78 children, were killed and 631 injured in 491 road accidents across the country in the month of May.
As many as 141 people were killed in 156 motorcycle accidents, which is 34.55 percent of the total deaths.
Motorcycle accidents made up 31.77 percent of the total accidents in May, it said.
During this period, four people died and two were missing in six accidents on waterways. Beside, 23 people were killed and six suffered injuries in 25 railway accidents.
The Road Safety Foundation prepared the report based on nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media.
According to the report, 104 pedestrians were killed in the accident, which is 25.49pc of the total fatalities. 72 people were killed by vehicle drivers and assistants, which is 17.64pc of the total casualties.
According to the Road Safety Foundation's monitoring and analysis, 165 (33.60pc) of the accidents occurred on national highways, 201 (40.93pc) on regional roads, 73 (14.86pc) on rural roads, 48 (9.77pc) on city roads and 4 (0.81pc) occurred in other locations.
Of the accidents, 71 (14.46pc) were head-on collisions, 236 (48.06pc) lost control, 107 (21.9pc) pedestrians were hit/pushed, 54 (10.99pc) rear-end vehicles and 23 (4. 68pc) occurred due to other causes.
