At least 4,969 people were killed and 5,085 more were injured in 4,092 road, railways and waterways accidents in 2020 in Bangladesh, said a report published on Wednesday.
Of the victims, 3,800 were killed and 4,954 were injured in 3,232 road accidents, 212 were killed and 100 were injured and missing in 70 waterways accidents and 129 were killed and 31 were injured in 108 railways accidents, the report said.
The rest of the victims either died later at hospitals or were victims of 20 per cent unpublished accidents.
Nirapad Sarak Chai prepared the report taking information from the reports published in different media and disclosed it holding a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
While addressing the programme, NSC chairman Ilias Kanchan said that the number of road accidents and casualties decreased in 2020 comparing with the number of 2019; but still it was not a good sign.
‘In 2019, 5,227 people were killed in 4,702 road accidents while in 2020 total 4,969 people were killed in 4,092 road accidents,’ he said.
He said that the number of road accidents was high even in the year of coronavirus pandemic.
Lack of proper management and monitoring on roads, and no implementation of 111 road safety related recommendations were the major reasons behind accidents, he added.
Almost 25 per cent of the victims, who were killed in the road accident, were transport workers and 21 per cent were pedestrians, the report said.
The highest number of accidents took place in Dhaka district. 367 people were killed in 237 road accidents in Dhaka, 193 people were killed in 161 accidents in Chattogram, 207 people were killed in 152 accidents in Mymensingh, and 129 were killed in 103 accidents in Gazipur.
No airways accidents occurred in 2020, the report added.
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