Seven members of the same family were killed early Wednesday morning when a Hiace microbus plunged into a canal in Purba Jagadishpur area of Alaiyapur Union in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali.
The victims were returning home to Lakshmipur from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with expatriate Abdul Bahar, who had just arrived from Oman.
Among the victims were Bahar’s mother, wife, daughter, two nieces, sister-in-law, and grandmother.
The deceased were identified as Faijun Nesa (80), Khurshida Begum (55), Kabita Begum (30), Laboni Begum (30), Reshmi Akhter (10), Lamia Akhter (9), and Meem Akhter (2).
At their home in Kasari Bari area of Uttar Joypur Union in Lakshmipur, seven bodies were laid side by side as hundreds of villagers gathered in grief.
Abdus Rahim, father of Bahar, lay silently on his bed, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Bahar, who survived the crash, described the horrifying moments: My mother, wife and daughter were all in the van. We were laughing and talking. My mother said, ‘We waited so long for you, son,’ and before she could finish, there was a loud noise and everything turned upside down,.
“The van fell into the canal and was floating like a boat. I told the driver to unlock the door so we could swim out. He didn’t unlock it and escaped through a window. Later, we broke the window and came out, but my mother, wife and daughter drowned inside.”
Bahar alleged the driver was drowsy while driving. “He nearly crashed in Comilla earlier. We asked him to rest if needed. But he kept driving while sleepy and finally caused this accident.”
Noakhali Fire Service official Mozammel Haque said there were 11 people in the van, including the driver. “Four managed to get out, but seven died. It appears the driver’s drowsiness caused the accident,” he said.
Local UP chairman Mizanur Rahman said the deaths of seven women and children from the same family have cast a pall of grief over the entire village.
