What was meant to be a joyous homecoming for a Bangladeshi expatriate after a decade in Malaysia ended in tragedy early Tuesday as a road crash on the Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway claimed five lives of the same family and left two children critically injured.
Ariful Islam, 30, a migrant worker from Baliadangi village under Jhikargachha upazila in Jashore, returned to Bangladesh on Monday night after spending 10 years in Malaysia in search of livelihood.
At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, he was welcomed by his mother Nurjahan Begum, brother Rakib Hossain, sister Ayesha Begum, and two young relatives—nephew Ashraful and niece Tashfia.
The family then set off for their village home in Faridpur in a private car.
But their journey ended in devastation around 4am in Maligram area of Bhanga upazila when the vehicle crashed into the rear of a stationary truck loaded with gas cylinders on the Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway.
The other deceased were Ariful, his younger brother Rakib Hossain, 20, their mother Nurjahan Begum, 55, sister Ayesha Khatun, 35, and the driver of the private car,
Zahid Hossain, 35, of Chaluhati village in Monirampur upazila of Jashore.
Two children—Ashraful ,8, and Tashfia ,3, children of Ayesha Begum—sustained critical injuries and are now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Fire Service personnel and highway police rushed to the scene after receiving information and rescued the injured, taking them to Bhanga Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared four people dead.
Later, critically injured Ariful, along with the two children, was transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. Ariful succumbed to his injuries on the way.
“We went to receive him with so much hope. He had just returned after 10 years. On the way home, everything turned into mourning,” said his brother-in-law Ilias Hossain.
Shibchar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said four bodies were initially recovered and kept at the police station, while Ariful’s body was later recovered from hospital.
“The vehicle and the truck have been seized. Legal procedures are underway and preparations are being made to hand over the bodies to the families,” he said.