An unidentified man was crushed under a train at Mulibari level crossing area on Dhaka-Ishwardi railway route in Sirajganj Sadar Upazila on Sunday. Md. Dulal Uddin, the officer in charge (OC) of Sirajganjbazar  railway thana,  said the victim was crushed under Ananta Ekta express train in Malibari rail crossing area. Army man killed over land dispute in Sherpur Police recovered the body and sent to Shaheed M. Mansur Ali Medical College Hospital in Sirajganj for autopsy on Monday morning.

Five passengers were injured after an Alif Paribahan bus fell into the Meradia Canal in Dhaka’s Banasree  on Saturday evening. Khilgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Daud Hossain told UNB that police and fire service personnel are working to rescue the bus from the canal. Woman crushed under train in Rajshahi After being informed, a fire service unit went to the spot at 6:10 pm, said Rozina Akhter, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Control Room. Further information can be given after the bus is recovered from the canal, the police official added.

A car in the convoy of Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, was involved in an accident at 7:30 pm on Wednesday in Chattogram while returning after the burial of murdered lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.  The car's front end was severely damaged, but fortunately, no one was injured. The car collided head-on with a truck at the Haji Road intersection in Chunti union, Lohagara. ‘Ban ISKCON, arrest Advocate Alif’s killers in 24 hours’: Hasnat Abdullah Arifur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lohagara Police Station, confirmed the incident and stated that Police seized the truck and arrested the driver. A general diary (GD) has been filed at the police station regarding the accident, he added.  

Seven passengers of a battery-powered autorickshaw were killed as a train crashed into the vehicle on an unauthorised level crossing at Kalikapur in Burichang upazila of Cumilla on Tuesday. Six of the deceased were identified as Rafique Mia, Lutfa Begum, Sanu Mia, Safarjan Begum and Saju Mia, all residents of Bakshimool village in Burichang upazila and Al Amin. The identity of another victim could not known immediately. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Burichang Police Station Azizul Haque said the accident occurred when Dhaka-bound Suborno Express train from Chattogram struck the autorickshaw as it attempted to cross the tracks around 10am. Bogie of freight train details at Dhaka’s AzampurFour passengers died on the spot, two succumbed to injuries en route to a hospital and another died while undergoing treatment there. The autorickshaw got twisted and the train dragged it several hundred yards along the rail tracks, said witnesses. The railway police have been informed and are overseeing the legal procedures regarding the accident, said OC Haque. The accident once again shed a light on the danger posed by unmanned and unattended level crossings across Bangladesh. Trial train on Dhaka-Khulna route reaches Khulna via Padma Bridge Although accidents at unprotected level crossings are claiming lives frequently, no measure has yet been taken to make those safe. According to data from of the Railways Ministry in 2022, among the 2,822 rail crossings of Bangladesh Railway (BR), 1,354 are illegal and 2,258 are without gatemen. Among the legal rail crossings, 904 are unmanned. BR data shows that almost 90 per cent of rail accidents happen at rail crossings. In the last one decade, a total of 936 accidents happened at the country’s rail crossings, which took away a staggering 516 lives. Two die in rickshaw van-truck collision in Natore  

Six people were killed as a truck rammed into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Itakhola-Katiadi road in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi district on Saturday.                                                    The identities of the deceased could not be known yet. 6 burnt in N’ganj gas cylinder blast The truck crashed into the auto-rickshaw at Pacharbari while heading towards Monohardi upazila, leaving the auto-rickshaw driver and five passengers dead on the spot, said Afzal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shibpur model police station. On information, a team of local fire service and police recovered the bodies.

At least 11 people were killed Tuesday after a fuel truck exploded next to a highway in Uganda, police said. Two children were among the dead. The truck overturned after an accident and later exploded in a town just outside Kampala, the capital, police spokesman Patrick Onyango said. Death toll in Uganda rubbish heap collapse reaches 24 as rescue teams find more victims “The victims were burnt beyond recognition,” he said in a statement. A cloud of dark smoke rose from the scene. A video shared online by an onlooker appeared to show people scooping up fuel from the truck before the blast. The dangerous scene echoed a similar incident in Nigeria last week that killed more than 140 people, including children. People who rush to collect fuel from stricken trucks hope to sell it, despite warnings to stay away. “This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the risks associated with fuel tanker accidents and the importance of exercising caution when dealing with hazardous materials," Onyango said. There have been similar incidents over the years across East Africa. At least 62 people were killed in Tanzania in 2019 as they attempted to siphon fuel out of a damaged truck. In South Sudan, at least 183 people were killed in 2015 when hundreds of villagers gathered around a fuel truck to collect fuel.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen has said noted activist-economist Prof Anu Muhammad requires combined surgery. “After seeing the pictures sent by the doctors last night, I decided that Professor Anu Muhammad needs a combined operation for his injuries. For this reason, he has been brought from Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute," he said. Prof Anu Muhammad suffers serious injuries while getting down from train in Dhaka Samanta was speaking to reporters after a board meeting on Professor Anu Muhammad at Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Surgery Institute on Monday afternoon. “The Honorable Prime Minister inquired about Professor Anu Muhammad's condition this morning. She has instructed us to take all necessary measures. I have also informed her of everything. This institute will be better for a combined operation. We need orthopedics, I think it will be better if everyone works together on this matter. We want him to recover and return to his workplace," said the minister. 25-year-old dies of heatstroke in Ctg Speaking about the adverse situation due to the intense heat wave, Samanta said, "Today we talked to the principals of all the medical colleges in the country. We have had a detailed discussion on how the students of the medical colleges will stay in this intense heat and have taken some decisions in this regard. Most of the classes will be online and instructions have been given to bring patients to the clinics and take clinical classes in rooms where there is air conditioning. We hope that this natural condition will not last long. It will be fixed. Then the normal situation will return again."

In Bangladesh, motorcycles, with their ease of navigation and cost-effectiveness, have become a popular mode of transport. However, this preference comes with a significant drawback: motorcycles are at the epicenter of the nation’s road safety crisis. While there was a hopeful decrease in motorcycle-related accidents in the past year compared to 2022, these two-wheelers remain the most common protagonist in the tragic tales of road accidents across the country. The situation is dire, with not only deaths being a common outcome but an increasing number of individuals suffering life-altering injuries, including the loss of limbs. The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR), a vigilant civic organization, illuminates this pressing issue with alarming statistics: from 2020 to 2023, 33-40% of all annual road accidents involved motorcycles. This figure has been on a distressing upward trajectory since the start of this year. According to the NCPSRR, the daily average ranges from 8 to 10 fatalities in 10 to 12 motorcycle accidents—a grim statistic that often escapes the attention of the national media spotlight. The heart of this crisis is attributed to the presence of underage, unskilled, and unlicensed drivers on the roads. The lack of stringent enforcement by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and the police has been pinpointed as a contributing factor. Ashis Kumar Dey, the general secretary of NCPSRR, doesn’t mince words when he lists the reasons behind the spike in motorcycle accidents: the proliferation of motorcycles, including many that are unlicensed, and reckless driving habits are significant contributors. Dey strongly believes that both law enforcement and the regulatory body, BRTA, need to intensify their efforts. Motorcycle rider dies in Dinajpur road crash To combat this escalating problem, Dey proposes a comprehensive crackdown on underage and unlicensed riders and unregistered motorcycles. He advocates for the implementation of mobile courts across all districts for three consecutive months, a bold strategy aimed at curtailing the rampant violations contributing to road safety hazards. The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) adds a quantitative dimension to the discourse with its annual report, revealing that in 2023, 6,524 individuals, including 974 women and 1,128 children, lost their lives in 6,911 road accidents across the country. Motorbike riders and pillion passengers comprised a staggering 38.12% of these fatalities. Delving deeper into the data, RSF provides a comparative analysis of motorcycle accidents and fatalities over recent years, presenting a grim narrative of increasing incidents and loss of lives, peaking in 2022. However, a glimmer of hope emerges from the 2023 statistics, showing a 14.83% decrease in accidents and a 19.54% drop in fatalities compared to the previous year. Despite this positive trend, Saidur Rahman, executive director of RSF, remains cautious, warning that this decrease should not be prematurely celebrated as a sign of sustained improvement in road safety. Rahman further elaborates on the challenges at hand, pointing out that motorcycles constitute 71% of all motor vehicles in the country, with a significant portion of these riders being teenagers and young adults. This demographic exhibits a pronounced disregard for traffic laws, exacerbated by a lack of stringent monitoring and enforcement, leading to reckless behavior and tragic outcomes. The discourse takes a critical turn as Rahman highlights the frequent clashes between motorcycles and larger vehicles such as trucks, covered vans, and buses. The drivers of these larger vehicles often lack the necessary skill or are overworked, contributing to their involvement in accidents with motorcycles. The inadequacy of the public transport system and the chronic issue of traffic congestion have further popularized motorcycles as a preferred mode of transport, despite the associated risks. Man hit by motorcycle in Jatrabari dies In a noteworthy development, Rahman acknowledges the role of increased awareness and the efforts of highway police in the recent decline in motorcycle accidents. Abu Raihan Md Saleh, Joint Commissioner (Traffic-North) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, supports this view, attributing the reduction in accidents to the rigorous enforcement of traffic laws. Saleh’s remarks underline the police’s commitment to curbing reckless riding, unregistered bikes, and license violations, although this has led to complaints from bikers about perceived overzealous policing. Saleh also emphasizes the crucial role of parental responsibility in preventing underage and inexperienced individuals from taking to the roads on motorcycles. He expresses optimism that with heightened vigilance from parents and guardians, the trend of motorcycle accidents can be further curbed. This multifaceted crisis of motorcycle safety in Bangladesh calls for a concerted effort from all stakeholders: law enforcement, regulatory bodies, civic organizations, and the community at large. The statistics and stories paint a clear picture of the challenge ahead, yet they also offer a blueprint for action. By addressing the root causes of motorcycle accidents and implementing targeted safety measures, Bangladesh can hope to navigate its way out of this perilous situation, making its roads safer for everyone. Increase vigilance on movement of three-wheelers, motorcycles during Eid holidays: Quader

Three people were killed and two others injured as a speeding truck crashed into a battery-run autorickshaw on Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila on Monday (February 19, 2024) morning. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Naojhor Highway police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahdat Hossain said the Tangail–bound truck hit the autorickshaw in Sutrapur area, leaving five people including the autorickshaw driver injured. Read: Bus-auto rickshaw collision leaves 7 people dead in Mymensingh Members of fire service and police rescued the injured and took them to Kaliakair upazila health complex where physicians declared three of them dead upon arrival. The rest were undergoing treatment at the hospital, he said, adding that all the victims were passengers of the autorickshaw. Read more: Bus-motorcycle collision leaves one dead in Faridpur

During a routine vehicle inspection on the Sylhet-Sunamganj road at Temukhi, Sylhet district, six policemen sustained injuries when a bus hit them early Thursday (February 15, 2024) morning. The incident occurred as the officers were operating a check-post established to enhance road safety measures. The injured officers include Azbahar Ali Sheikh, Additional DIG and Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police; Kawsar Dastagir, Additional Deputy Commissioner; Zahurul Islam, Assistant Commissioner of Airport Police Station; SM Nunu Mia, Officer-in-Charge of Airport Police Station; Rezul Karim, Assistant Sub-Inspector; and driver Nayek Habibur Rahman. Read: Repatriation of 330 Myanmar security forces from Bangladesh underway According to Zakir Hossain, Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, the accident happened around 6 am when a 'Real Coach' bus from Sunamganj, while undergoing checks, struck the policemen, causing various degrees of injuries. The victims received immediate medical attention at a local hospital, with Azbahar Ali Sheikh being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for further treatment. Read:RAB arrests ARSA ‘second-in-command’, 2 members from Rohungya camp Following the incident, police detained the bus supervisor and impounded the vehicle. However, the bus driver managed to escape from the scene. Authorities are currently investigating the accident and have initiated efforts to apprehend the fleeing driver.