United News of Bangladesh

As many as 441 people including 63 children were killed and 1,128 others injured in 486 road accidents across the country in October, according to a report of Road Safety Foundation (RSF). Dhaka division recorded the highest number of accidents at 121, resulting in 112 deaths, the RSF report released on Wednesday said. The report noted that the number of fatalities and accidents rose compared to September, increasing by 24 deaths and 40 accidents respectively. The RSF prepared the report based on the reports of nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media. Read more: RSF identifies 314 accident-prone upazilas across Bangladesh, 139 as highly risky Among the deceased, 137 people died in 192 motorbike accidents, accounting for 31.06% of total fatalities though this figure was six fewer than in the previous month. The deceased also included 98 pedestrians, 56 drivers and their assistants. Besides, nine waterways accidents claimed at least 11 lives with four missing. Besides, 43  people were killed and 12 others injured in 46 accidents involving trains across Bangladesh last month. Read more: Three killed in Ctg motorcycle accidents  Of the total accidents, 166 accidents occurred on the national highways, 148 on regional roads, 81 on rural roads and 87 on city roads, said the report. According to the report, 24.89% accidents occurred in Dhaka division, 11.52% in Rajshahi, 21.39% in Chattogram, 13.16% in Khulna, 6.37% in Barishal, 5.34% in Sylhet, 11.31% in Rangpur and 5.96% in Mymensingh division. Sylhet division saw 26 accidents with lowest 24 deaths during the same period, said the report. The RSF identified several key factors behind the rise in road accidents including faulty vehicles, reckless driving, drivers’ incompetence or illness, unsettled wages and working hours, low-speed traffic on highways, risky motorcycling by youth, frequent violation of traffic rules, poor traffic management, inefficiency of the BRTA, and extortion in the transport sector. The RSF urged the concerned authorities to take necessary measures to improve road safety across the country. Read more: 428 lives lost on roads in August in Bangladesh: RSF

Five members of a family were killed and two others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a microbus in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar district on Wednesday (5th November 2025). Four women and one child are among the deceased but their identities could not be ascertained immediately, police said. Officer-in-charge Mehedi Hasan of Malumghat Highway Police Station said the accident occurred around 9am on the busy Cox’s Bazar-Chattogram highway to the south end of Fashiakhali Hasher Dighi Army Camp in Malumghat area under the upazila. 2 women among 5 killed in Noakhali road accident The Chattogram-bound bus of ‘Marsa Paribahan’ collided with the Cox’s Bazar-bound microbus, leaving two dead on the spot and five others injured, he said. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital where physicians declared three dead, the OC said, adding that the rest injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Details of the accident are still awaited, the police officer added. Read more: Highway horror under Cumilla region; 525 killed in 9 months

Every dawn in the Cumilla region brings the haunting prospect of yet another fatal road crash, with an average of three accidents a day claiming two lives and injuring five others, reflecting a grim landscape of disorder, decay and neglect on some of Bangladesh’s busiest highways. In just nine months this year, 525 people have been killed in road accidents across the Cumilla region, nearly doubling last year’s tally. The alarming rise has been recorded over 792 kilometres of major highways, including the Dhaka–Chattogram, Cumilla–Noakhali, Cumilla–Sylhet and Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar routes. Superintendent of Police (Highway Region) Shahinur Alam Khan said 842 accidents occurred between January and September 2025, leaving 525 dead and 1,210 injured. Of these, the Dhaka–Chattogram highway alone accounted for 465 accidents, with 284 deaths and 509 injuries, on the stretch between Daudkandi toll plaza in Cumilla and City Gate in Chattogram. Compared to 2024, when 630 accidents claimed 522 lives and injured 784 others, both figures have already surged this year. Officials fear 2025’s total may exceed all previous records if the trend continues. Saiful Islam, Motor Vehicle Inspector at the Cumilla BRTA office, attributed more than 40% of these crashes to reckless speeding. Despite enforcement drives, he said, the authorities have been unable to curb the menace due to a chronic shortage of manpower. Journalist Abdullah Al Maruf blamed police inaction, especially following the August 5 movement last year, for the sharp increase in accidents, saying the Highway Police’s failure to enforce speed limits, seize unfit vehicles and take legal action against unlicensed drivers has worsened the situation. Nearly 700 killed in road accidents across Bangladesh in June He also criticised BRTA’s lack of visible efforts to ensure road safety. “The highways have been in disrepair for over a year. Potholes and broken surfaces not only damage vehicles but also cause deadly accidents,” Maruf said. Kabir Ahmed, Vice-President of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, pointed to the overwhelming presence of illegal vehicles—at least 20 times more than the number of registered ones, as a key reason behind the chaos. He said around 90% of highway accidents involve either unregistered vehicles or a mix of legal and illegal ones. “Unskilled and unlicensed drivers, three-wheelers on highways, illegal roadside markets and poor public awareness are compounding the risks.” . According to him, of the 62 lakh registered motor vehicles in the country—46 lakh of which are motorcycles—only 29 lakh licences have been issued so far. This means about 33 lakh vehicles are being driven by unlicensed operators. “It is also unclear whether BRTA maintains an accurate count of total vehicles, and there has never been a clear policy on how many vehicles the roads can actually support,” Kabir noted. CCTV Cameras Offer Little Help Nearly 1,500 CCTV cameras have been installed along the 250-kilometre Dhaka–Chattogram highway to monitor speed and enhance safety. Yet Highway Police say they cannot access data from many of these cameras. SP Shahinur Alam said the systems have not yet been fully handed over to the police. “We hope to gain full access soon,” he said, adding that functional cameras are currently monitored from a control room at Meghna Ghat. Some cameras were also damaged during the August 5 protests, but efforts are underway to repair them, he added. Three-Wheelers and Broken Roads Deepen the Crisis Illegal three-wheelers remain a major hazard on highways. SP Shahinur admitted that completely banning them is difficult without expanding public transport. Sylhet div witnesses 28 deaths in road accidents in June “Many livelihoods depend on these vehicles. However, we are working to keep them out of key highway zones,” he said. The Cumilla–Sylhet highway, particularly its 62-kilometre stretch, is among the worst in the region—riddled with potholes, narrow lanes and broken surfaces. Other regional roads under the Roads and Highways Department are in similar condition. Abul Hasan, a driver for Sugandha Paribahan, said, “Not a single day goes by without an accident. The roads are narrow, broken and unsafe. Collisions between heavy and light vehicles are common. We’ve complained many times, but nothing changes.” Sub-Assistant Engineer of Cumilla Roads and Highways Department, Adnan Ibn Alam, said around 150 kilometres of roads in the district were damaged by last year’s floods and this year’s heavy rains. “We hope to complete all repair work by December or January,” he added.

A senior faculty member of Rajshahi University (RU) was killed and his colleague critically injured in a road accident on Friday morning in Paba upazila of Rajshahi district. Police identified the deceased as Shiv Shankar Roy, 58, a professor in the Marketing Department, while Md Asaduzzaman, a colleague from the Department of Philosophy, sustained critical injuries and is receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. According to officer-in-charge Monirul Islam of Paba Police Station, the accident occurred around 7am near the Ansar Camp on the Naogaon-Rajshahi highway in Nowhata area. “A vehicle collided with the motorcycle on which the two teachers were riding and fled the scene, leaving them critically injured,” he said. Oman road accident kills 8 Bangladeshis, 7 from Swandip Locals rushed to the site and took them to the hospital. But, Prof Shankar succumbed to his injuries before reaching medical care. Prof Asaduzzaman remains unconscious. RU Assistant Proctor Gias Uddin said the teachers were heading to Nowhata for fishing, with Prof Asaduzzaman riding the motorcycle. Prof Shankar, who was the pillion passenger, suffered severe head injuries and is believed to have died instantly. The body of Prof Shankar has been kept at Rajshahi Medical College morgue, and arrangements are underway to send it to his native home in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves through the university community as colleagues, students and authorities have expressed deep sorrow over the untimely death of the veteran academic.

Two people were killed as a motorbike crashed into a car on Sylhet-Sunamganj regional highway in front of a food warehouse in Shantiganj upazila of Sunamganj on Saturday. The deceased were identified as motorcyclists Md Jewel Mia, son of Wahid Ali of Saudergaon village in Doarabazar upazila and Md Shobdar Ali, son of late Abdur Razzak of Hasannagar Moynar Point in Sunamganj municipality. Two killed in separate road accidents in Feni Locals said the accident took place around 11:30 am when the motorbike heading towards Jagannathpur collided with the Sunamganj-bound private car, leaving Jewel Mia dead on spot. Shobdar Ali succumbed to his injuries on the way to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital, said Joykolosh Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Suman Kumar Chowdhury .

A young man was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in the Ompara area of Munshiganj early Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Md Siam, 25, son of Md Ali Akbar of Hatupara village in Madaripur district. He worked at a garage in the Bangshal area of Dhaka. Dewan Azad Hossain, station officer of Srinagar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the man had gone to Mawa for a visit. While returning to Dhaka on his motorcycle, the accident occurred. 2 Jamaat leaders killed in road accident on way to Dhaka rally “We received information around 7am and rushed to the spot. We found his body and motorcycle lying in the middle of the road. However, no eyewitnesses were found, so the exact cause of the accident remains unclear,” the official said. No one else was injured in the incident, he added.

A motorcyclist was killed and another injured in a collision between a motorcycle and a  truck in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon. The accident occurred in the Tapti area of Mahendranagar union, Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nurunnabi confirmed this. The deceased was identified as Golam Zakaria Plabon, a resident of Chamta area in Kaliganj upazila of the district. According to locals, the motorcycle carrying three people collided head-on with the truck, leaving one dead on the spot. BGB detains 6 push-ins from Lalmonirhat; claims they're Indians Another passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, while the third person received first aid. The OC said that on receiving information, teams from Lalmonirhat Fire Service and Sadar Police Station arrived at the spot and recovered the body.

Two people were killed and two others injured in a road accident on the Jashore-Benapole highway in Jashore Sadar upazila early Thursday. The accident took place around 4am in the Natunhaat area, said officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station Abul Hasnat. The deceased were identified as Masudur Rahman Milon, 40, former sports affairs secretary of the Jashore District Chhatra League, and Jui, 30, of Sarathi Mill area in Jashore. The injured – Mamun, 32, from Betaga village in Bagerhat’s Fakirhat upazila, and Masud, 45, from Arenda village in Jashore Sadar – were taken to Jessore General Hospital. Youth held with five gold bars in Jashore According to police, the victims were heading towards Benapole from Jashore in a private car when the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into a roadside tree. Milon and Jui died on the spot. Locals rushed to the scene, rescued the injured and informed the police. The bodies of the deceased were recovered and sent to the hospital morgue, the OC added.

A motorcyclist was killed in an accident on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Charkhand Golora area of Manikganj Sadar Upazila on Saturday. The deceased is Tara Mia, 35, son of Moslem Mia of Jagir Union in Manikganj sadar upazila. Motorcyclist killed in Manikganj road crash Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Golra Highway police station Sohel Sarwar said when Tara Mia was going to work on a motorcycle in the morning a speeding bus of Selfie Paribahan hit him, leaving him dead on the spot. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he added.    

Three people were killed in separate road accidents in Dinajpur on Tuesday and Monday. In one incident, a motorcycle rider and his passenger were killed after being hit by a truck in Phulbari, said sub-inspector Faridul Islam of Phulbari Police Station. The deceased were identified as Abdul Motaleb, 27, son of Abdur Razzak of Joyrampur in Kaharol upazila, and Saju Islam, 33, son of Anarul Islam of Jagannathpur in the same upazila. Motaleb, a motorcycle rider based in Dhaka, was travelling to the capital with Saju when the accident occurred. 5 dead, 15 injured in Dinajpur road crash  In an earlier incident, around midnight on Monday, a truck hit the rear of a parked truck in the Bajitpur area of Bhaduria in Nawabganj, leaving driver Al Amin Alam dead, said sub-inspector Golam Mostafa of Nawabganj Police Station.