A 55-year-old security guard was fatally knocked down by a pick-up van when he was crossing the road near Shyampur Delta Hospital in the capital on Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Azhar Ali, a resident of Munshiganj district.

Read:Traffic police killed in city road crash

Abdul Khan, assistant sub-inspector of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Azhar died on the spot when the speeding pick-up van hit him around 11.15 pm and sped away. 

The body has been kept at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Road accidents in Bangladesh

Road accidents are common in Bangladesh and have been a major cause of deaths.

Road accidents during the recent Eid-ul-Azha holiday rush claimed 273 lives in just 15 days, even though long-haul buses were operating for just eight during those days, according to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti (Passenger Welfare Association).

At least 240 road crashes occurred during the July 14- 28 period, BJKS revealed, while presenting its road accident report-2021 at a press briefing on July 30.

Read: 273 killed on roads during Eid rush; highest in 6 years

In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank pointed out that Bangladesh needs to invest an estimated $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 lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.