360 Students Killed in Road Crashes in Six Months

At least 360 students were killed and 109 others injured in 320 road accidents across Bangladesh during the first six months of 2026, according to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.

The organisation's Secretary General, Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, revealed the figures in a statement issued on Saturday marking the 15th anniversary of the Mirsarai tragedy, one of the deadliest road accidents in the country's history.

He said greater road safety awareness among students, teachers and guardians is essential to reducing road fatalities and building a more disciplined society.

"In the absence of regular road safety awareness programmes involving students, teachers and guardians, the country continues to lose a large number of students in road accidents every year, while many others suffer serious injuries or permanent disabilities," he said.

According to the organisation's monthly data, 57 students were killed and 22 injured in 57 road accidents in January. In February, 47 students died and 11 were injured in 39 accidents.

March was the deadliest month, with 67 student deaths in 59 accidents, while one student was reported injured. In April, 56 students were killed and 25 injured in 51 accidents.

May recorded the highest number of accidents, with 61 crashes claiming 73 student lives and injuring 23 others. In June, 53 accidents left 60 students dead and 27 injured.

Recalling the Mirsarai tragedy on July 11, 2011, Mozammel said a mini-truck carrying students from several schools in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram plunged into a roadside ditch after the driver lost control, killing 45 people, most of them students.

He alleged that no sustained government-led road safety awareness programme targeting students has been introduced since the tragedy, while awareness among students and guardians also remains inadequate.

To reduce student casualties on the roads, the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity placed a five-point recommendation.

The recommendations include incorporating road safety education into school textbooks, holding at least one monthly road safety awareness session in educational institutions with the participation of experts, installing zebra crossings and school zone signboards near educational institutions along national and regional highways, deploying trained road safety guards equipped with red flags to assist students in crossing busy roads, and forming road safety committees in every educational institution with representatives from both teachers and students.