553 killed in road crashes in August: Report
Accidents on roads, railways and waterways killed at least 553 people and injured 669 others last month, passengers' welfare body Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity said Wednesday.
Of these, 388 road accidents left 459 people dead and 618 injured, according to a monitoring cell report of the association, reports UNB.
Besides, 14 persons were killed and three others injured in 15 railway accidents.
During this time period, 41 accidents on waterways claimed the lives of 80 persons and injured 52. Thirty-one more remain missing.
The Samity prepared its report after reviewing media reports published in several newspapers.
Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, general secretary of the association, who presented the report, blamed dilapidated road condition due to recent flood and plying of human haulers on highways and roads for the accidents.
He said motorcycles and reckless driving also put road safety at risk.
Mozammel also stressed the need for modernisation of the traffic system and removing unfit vehicles for ensuring road safety.
Motorcycles were in charge of 28.98 percent of the accidents, trucks and covered vans 21.61 percent, buses 16.12 percent, auto-rickshaws 8.74 percent, battery-run ruckshaws and easy bikes 9.77 percent, human hauler 7.71 percent and jeep and microbus 7.03 percent, in line with the report.
