A Correspondent:
Laxmipur: What was meant to be a joyful homecoming turned into an unimaginable tragedy for Oman expatriate Bahar Uddin, as seven members of his family, including two young children, lost their lives in a devastating road accident in Noakhali on Wednesday.
The family, residents of Choupalli village in Sadar upazila of Laxmipur, had set off in a microbus from Dhaka after receiving Bahar from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where he had just returned following years of work abroad. But the celebration never came.
On their way back home in Laxmipur, the microbus veered off the road and plunged into a roadside ca-nal, killing seven of the passengers instantly. Bahar was being accompanied by 12 family members.
The fatal accident occurred around 5:40am, when the microbus lost control and fell into the canal at Chandraganj Dakshin Bazar in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district, said officer-in-charge (OC) of Chandraganj Highway Police Station Md Mobarak Hossain Bhuiyan.
The deceased were identified as Bahar’s mother Morshida Begum, 50, his wife Kabita, 22, his two-year-old daughter Mim Akter, maternal grandmother Faizunnessa, 60, sister-in-law Laboni Akter, 25, (wife of Bahar’s elder brother), and Laboni’s two daughters, Lamia, 8, and Reshma, 9.
Upon receiving the report, local police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies and the vehicle from the water.
Bahar survived the crash, but is left utterly devastated. “I went abroad to work for a better future for my family. I had no idea I would come home to lose them all,” he said in deep grief.
“The driver was reckless. He could have saved them. But instead, he jumped out and ran,” Bahar added, demanding exemplary punishment for the man behind the wheel.
OC Mobarak Hossain said initial investigations suggest the crash was caused by reckless driving and ex-cessive speed. “We have seized the vehicle and are working to arrest the driver, who fled the scene,” he added.
Locals also expressed concern, speculating that the driver may have fallen asleep due to fatigue or had been driving irresponsibly.
Bahar, who had returned home on leave to spend time with his loved ones, now finds himself preparing to bury them instead.
