At least five people, including three minors, were killed in separate road accidents in Pabna and Habiganj districts on Friday, police said.
The accident in Pabna occurred around 1.30 pm, when a speeding truck rammed a battery-operated auto-rickshaw in the Rangalia area of Bhangura upazila in the afternoon.
Police said 16-year-old Imon Hossain, his brother Imran Hossain (14), and their 13-year-old cousin Summa Khatun, who were travelling in the auto-rickshaw, died in the accident.
“While the trio died on the spot, another person sustained injuries in the crash,” officer-in-charge of Bhangura Police Station Anowar Hossain said.
“We are trying to identify the truck and track down its driver, who sped away after the accident,” he said.
In Habiganj, two persons were killed and four others were injured in a head-on collision between a pick-up van and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in the Kalimnagar area of Shayestaganj upazila.
Police have identified the deceased as Dipankar Poddar, a 28-year-old medical officer at Habiganj General Hospital, and Julhas Uddin.
Officer-in-Charge of Baniachong police station Ajay Chandra Deb said the two were killed on the spot in the impact of the crash around 12 pm. “Those injured have been admitted to Sadar Hospital for treatment,” he said.
439 killed in November
The number of road crashes and casualties on Bangladesh’s roads and highways marked a sharp rise in November, with at least 439 people killed and 682 others injured in as many as 417 accidents, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), an organisation working to ensure safer roads, earlier this month.
The report was based on accident news carried by seven national dailies, five online news portals and the electronic media.
As per the RSF report, 383 people were killed in 314 accidents in October. Some 49 drivers and their assistants also fell prey to the road fatalities, which are 11.16% of the total deaths.
The RSF has pointed out 10 major reasons behind the increasing trend of road accidents.
The reasons include faulty vehicles, reckless driving, desperate mentality, incompetence and illness of drivers, unsettled wages and working hours, movement of low-speed vehicles on the highways and reckless riding of two-wheelers.
The RSF has urged the authorities concerned to address the issues and take necessary initiatives to fix the same.UNB
