Two people, including a college student, were killed and four others injured when a speedy bus hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on the busy Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Araihazar upazila of the district on Wednesday morning. The deceased student was identified as Nafiz, son of Naim Mia of Rupganj upazila.  He was a Class XI student of Government Safar Ali College. The identity of the other deceased is yet to be ascertained. Azizul Haque, officer-in-charge of Araihazar Police Station, said the accident occurred at 8am when the Narsingdi-bound ‘Badhan Paribahan’ bus crashed into the CNG-run auto-rickshaw, leaving its two passengers dead on the spot. The four injured occupants of the auto-rickshaw were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.  

At least five people were killed and nine others were injured in separate road accidents in 3 districts on Sunday, police said. In Jashore, two minor children were crushed under the wheels of a tractor trolley in Sadar upazila of Jashore on Sunday morning, said police. The deceased were identified as Jahia Khatun, 4, and her cousin Abu Huraira, 2, of Jirat village of the upazila. Jahia's father Kamal Hossain was going to carry soil with the tractor trolley and when the vehicle started moving he did not notice the children who were behind the vehicle, said Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jashore Kotwali Model police station. Read: Baby born on road after accident that kills parents, sister Zahia's father said, “The vehicle got stuck while moving backwards. When I went to check, I found the children crushed under the wheels.” He could not hear their screams due to the loud noise of the tractor, he said in a choked voice. The bodies were handed over to the families without any post-mortem as they did not lodge any complaint, said the OC. In Kishoreganj, a youth was killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between a Lorry and a CNG-run auto rickshaw in Katiadi upazila of Kishoreganj on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Md Shakib Miah,22, son of Nurul Islam of Gogda village of Kendua upazila of Netrakona district. However, the identities of the injured could not be known immediately. The accident occurred on Sunday noon when the CNG-run auto-rickshaw collided with the Kishoreganj bound oil-laden Lorry near Gangkulpara on the Kishoreganj-Bhairab regional highway, leaving Shakib dead on the spot and four more injured. The injured were sent to Kishoreganj General Hospital. Read: Joyride turns tragic, university student killed in Narayanganj accident On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body, said Taufiqul Islam Taufiq, in charge of Katiyadi Highway Police Station. A case was filed in this regard, added the officer. In Sirajganj, two persons were killed and five others were injured in separate road accidents in Sirajganj in the early hours on Sunday, police said. The deceased were identified as Omar Faruk,32 from Kaunia upazila of Rangpur and Abdul Mojid, 52, of Char Malshapara in Sirajganj. On information, police recovered the bodies and handed them to their families. A case was filed over the accidents.

As many as 6,284 people, including 927 women and 734 children, were killed in 5,371 reported road accidents across the country in 2021. Road Safety Foundation (RSF), an organisation that campaigns for safe roads, on Saturday revealed a new report on accidents on Bangladesh’s periolous roads last year. The report was prepared based on accident news reported by seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media. According to the report, 7,468 people suffered injuries in road accidents during the period. Read: Mother, son killed in Pabna road accident Last year, motorcycle accidents turned out to be the deadliest ones as those alone caused death to 2,214 people, which is 35.23 per cent of the total deaths. A total of 2,078 motorbike accidents were reported during the year that account for 36.38 per cent of the total accidents.

Five people including four members of a family were killed and two others injured when a truck rammed a CNG run auto-rickshaw on Sylhet-Tamabil highway at Pakhibil in Jointapur upazila on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Hossain Ahmed, 35, driver of the CNG run auto-rickshaw, Sadia Begum, 35, wife of Jamal Ahmed, their four month old baby boy Shahadat Hossain, daughter Sabia Begum, 7, and Habibunnesa, 33, sister-in-law of Sadia. The accident occurred around 6:45 am when the Jaflong-bound stone-laden truck hit the Sylhet-bound CNG- run auto-rickshaw, leaving five people dead on the spot and two others injured, said Dastagir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Jointapur Police Station. The injured- Mohammad Zakaria, 50, brother-in-law of Sadia and his wife Hasina Begum, 40, of Rupchang village in the upazila, were taken to a local hospital. Also read: 4 of a family among 11 killed in Sylhet, Gaibandha, Habiganj road accidents Road accidents in Bangladesh Road accidents claim hundreds of lives every year in Bangladesh. In January this year, at least 484 people were killed in 427 road crashes. According to Road Safety Foundation (RSF), accident rates jumped by 25.58 percent and fatalities by 8.76 percent in January compared to the same period last year. At least 445 lives were lost in 340 road accidents in January 2020, according to RSF. Besides, a total of 409 pedestrians, including 66 women and 97 children, were killed between January and March this year in road accidents, according to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), which was published in April 12. A report prepared by RSF with information collected from seven national dailies, five online portals and electronic media reports, blamed 61.8 percent of the accidents on reckless driving and 38.19 percent on the insincerity of pedestrians. Also Read- Bangladesh's roads remain perilous; 37,170 killed in 5 years In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank said that Bangladesh needs to invest an estimated extra $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 a lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.

Six people were killed and 15 others injured in a collision between a bus and a truck on Bogura-Dhaka highway at College Road in Sherpur upazila of Bogura district on Sunday.