Passenger Welfare Association: 394 killed in accidents during Eid Hajj, mostly on roads

This year, 394 people were killed in road, water and rail accidents before and after Eid-ul-Fitr. 1,288 were injured. And in these 15 days of Eid, 351 people were killed and at least 1,046 were injured in 346 road accidents across the country. This year, the death toll has increased by 8.26 percent and the number of accidents by 8.95 percent compared to last year. 43 percent of the total accidents occurred on national highways – which highlights the seriousness of the situation.
Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association released the ‘Eid Hajj Road Accident Report-2026’ at a press conference organized at Sagar-Runi Hall of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) at 11 am today, Monday (March 30). The organization’s Secretary General Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury presented the report.
The report said that a total of 377 accidents on roads, railways and waterways resulted in 394 deaths and 1,288 injuries. Of these, 35 people were killed and 223 injured in 23 railway accidents and 8 people were killed, 19 injured and 3 people were missing in 8 boat accidents. These statistics were collected from the day of Eid Hajj, i.e. March 14, to the day of returning to work, i.e. March 28.
Like every time, motorcycles topped the list of accidents. 135 people lost their lives in 125 motorcycle accidents during Eid, which is 36.12 percent of the total road accidents and 38.46 percent of the total fatalities. In addition, 27.16 percent of the vehicles involved in accidents were motorcycles, 17.73 percent were trucks and covered vans and 16.22 percent were passenger buses.
At the press conference, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury alleged that even after the new government came to power, the mafia-style control of the old bureaucrats and owner-worker leaders in the transport sector continued. He said that no representatives of passengers or civil society were kept in the government’s Eid management meeting. Transport owners have created anarchy and chaos by taking fares to obtain exclusive benefits, which has resulted in an increase in road accidents.

The main causes of accidents:
1. Uncontrolled movement of motorcycles and battery-powered rickshaws on roads and highways.
2. Unsuitable vehicles and incompetent drivers.
3. Driving on the wrong side of the road and extortion.
4. Passengers risking their lives on the roofs of trucks, pickups and trains due to excessive fare collection.
The Passenger Welfare Association has made several recommendations to prevent accidents. These include using technology on the roads and introducing a smart fare system, stopping the registration of motorcycles and battery-powered rickshaws, providing night lighting on national highways and ensuring adequate training and working hours for drivers. It was informed at the press conference that a total of 2178 people injured in road accidents received treatment at the Pangu Hospital in Dhaka during the same period, which highlights the seriousness of the situation.