Severe traffic congestion at major ferry terminals and highways caused immense suffering to people as the mad rush of last hour Eid travellers started since Friday morning.

Thousands of people rushed to ferry, launch and bus terminals to travel out of the capital to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha in their ancestral homes, mostly violating health regulations.

Several thousand vehicles lined up on Dhaka-Aricha national highway in Manikganj till the afternoon as ferry authorities were struggling to continue service on Paturia-Daulatdia water channel for the pressure of vehicles from Dhaka.

On Shimulia-Kathalbari water channel, the authorities also struggled to carry out the service at Munshiganj point for huge pressure of vehicles coming from the capital.

Vehicles from Dhaka were running very slowly on the Dhaka-Tangail national highway in at least 65-kilometre area on Friday afternoon, reports our Tangail correspondent.

Vehicles from the northern districts were also left stranded in congestion on the highway’s Mirzapur area in the afternoon as police were letting the vehicles from Dhaka to go at first.

The Bangabandhu Bridge toll plaza was closed for 89 minutes following pressure of the vehicles.

Operators of ferry, bus and launch terminals said that the number of Eid travellers was low until Thursday morning compared to the previous years due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Since Thursday afternoon it started increasing and on Friday morning the rush of home goers reached its peak like usual time.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation officials said that since 5:00am on Friday vehicles from Dhaka started to gather at the Paturia ferry terminal area.

The corporation deputy general manager (ferry services) at Aricha office Zillur Rahman said that due to huge pressure of vehicles at Paturia end the vehicles could not be unloaded from the ferries came from Daulatdia for hours.

Since 11:30am the loading and unloading process became normal at Paturia terminal area, he said.

‘Till 3:00pm at least 3,000 private cars are waiting on the Dhaka-Aricha road to cross the river,’ he said.

He said that one of his relatives started from Manikganj bus stand area at 6:00am but yet to reach the ghat area adding that 16 ferries were carrying the service.

BIWTC officials at Shimulia ferry terminal area said that they were also struggling to carry services for a huge rush of vehicles from Dhaka since Friday early morning.

Like Paturia ghat area at Shimulia ghat area, huge cars were seen along with motorcycles.

At Paturia and Shimulia terminals people were seen not following social distances while they were standing on the ferries.

New Age correspondent in Tangail reports huge traffic on 65-kilometre area on Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu bridge area till 3:00pm.

Thousands of people were suffering on their way to northern districts as a result.

As the rush of home-goers and cattle laden vehicles from northern districts increased the congestion created, said Tangail superintendent of police Sanjit Kumar Roy.

Many trucks were seen carrying people from Dhaka to northern districts by the road violating law and health regulations.

Most of the buses on the highway were also seen carrying more than half of the passengers violating directive of the authorities.

At Sadarghat launch terminal, huge pressure of passengers were seen since morning.

Hundreds of passengers crowded the launch decks without maintaining social distances.

Bangladesh Railway runs 17 intercity trains on the day by taking 50 per cent passengers on each train maintaining social distances.

No rooftop passengers were seen on trains this Eid.