Published : 22 Feb 2026, 09:13 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:23 PM
A total of 586 people have been killed and 1,238 injured in 597 transport accidents across Bangladesh in January, according to the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association.
The group disclosed the information in a press release on Sunday, saying the report was prepared based on accident news published in national, regional and online media outlets.
Of the total, 552 road accidents claimed 546 lives and left 1,204 people injured during the month.
Motorcycles accounted for a significant share of the road crashes.
Of the 552 road accidents, 209 involved bikes -- representing 37.86 percent of the total. These accidents alone resulted in 223 deaths and 132 injuries.
Beyond roads, the association reported 37 railway accidents in January that left 33 people dead and 28 injured.
In waterways, eight accidents killed seven people, injured six and left three missing.
According to the report, the highest number of road accidents occurred in the Dhaka division, where 133 people were killed and 328 injured.
The lowest number was recorded in the Sylhet division, with 28 deaths.
An analysis of accident types showed that 48.36 percent of road crashes were caused by vehicles crushing victims. Head-on collisions accounted for 28.62 percent, while 16.84 percent resulted from vehicles losing control and plunging into ditches. The remaining 5.61 percent were attributed to other causes.
In terms of location, 42.57 percent of the accidents occurred on national highways, 27.89 percent on regional highways and 24.09 percent on feeder roads.
Within metropolitan areas, 4.52 percent of the total accidents occurred in Dhaka Metropolitan City, 0.54 percent in Chattogram Metropolitan City, and 0.36 percent took place at railway crossings.
The association also analysed the types of vehicles involved.
Information was available on 829 vehicles linked to the accidents.
Motorcycles made up 28.46 percent of these, followed by trucks, pickups, covered vans and lorries at 23.64 percent.
Buses accounted for 14.35 percent, battery-powered rickshaws and easy bikes 13.63 percent, CNG-powered autorickshaws 5.54 percent, other local three-wheeled passenger vehicles 9.04 percent, and cars, jeeps and microbuses 5.30 percent.
The press release also outlined the organisation’s observations on the causes of road accidents during the month and offered recommendations aimed at preventing such incidents.
