‘5,000’ people died in road accidents in 2015: Nischa

Around 5,000 people have died in road accidents across Bangladesh in 2015, according to statistics of ‘Nirapad Sarak Chai’ (Nischa); a number that is lower than the previous year’s.

Nischa, an organisation working for the past 21 years to create awareness against road accidents, at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity presented its annual report on Thursday.

Its Chairman Ilias Kanchan said a total of 5,003 people were killed in 2,626 accidents around the country in 2015. At least 6,197 people were also injured.

In 2014, the number of road accidents was 2,713, with a death toll of 6,582, according to the report.

The highest number of deaths in road accidents, 359, was in Dhaka District in 2015. Of them, 227 people died in the capital city alone.

Kushtia has the lowest number of death, 28.

One of the major road accidents this year, the report said, took place when a public bus hit a roadside tree, killing 25, at Faridpur on May 22.

The report also mentioned several other major accidents including Panchagarh’s May 22 truck-auto-rickshaw collision that left five members of a family dead, Sirajganj’s May 23 bus-truck collision that killed 10 and Gazipur’s May 25 road crash that claimed lives of seven including a policeman.

Nischa said the report was based on newspaper reports.