459 killed in 388 road accidents in August in Bangladesh: Report

At least 459 people were killed and 618 injured in 388 accidents on the country's roads and highways in August.

At the same time, 14 people were killed and three were injured in 15 accidents on the railways. At least 60 people were killed and 52 were injured and 41 others were reported missing in 41 accidents on the waterways.

A total of 553 people were killed and 669 were injured in 444 road, rail and water accidents in the country last month, according to a monitoring report of the Road Accident Monitoring Cell of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.

The organisation published the report on Wednesday after analysing the reports published in the national and local dailies and online media.

Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, said, "The number of road accidents increased as battery-powered rickshaw and easy-bikes have emerged on the city's main roads and national highways due to long lockdowns and due to rain-damaged roads. The number of motorcycles is constantly increasing and reckless movement is becoming a major threat to road safety."

"Road accidents and deaths are on the rise due to irregularities, corruption and lack of accountability of the agencies responsible for road safety. It is not possible to ensure road safety without modernising the traffic system, licensing and adjusting the fitness system of the vehicles to keep pace with the developed world," he added.