On the night of May 18, a fire ripped through Shyamal Polli in the capital, burning down over a hundred of shanties and leaving behind nothing but smoke and sorrow.
What once stood as a tightly knit community of tin-roofed shanties and modest dreams is now a desert of twisted metal and charred memories.
Fire breaks out at commercial building in Motijheel, brought under control
UNB photographer Tahiat Nazifa Nur’s photos poignantly capture the struggle of the slum dwellers to survive.
The photos captured by UNB photographer Tahiat Nazifa Nur show the struggle of the slum dwellers for survival
Families who had built their lives with years of tireless labour watched helplessly as flames consumed everything.
In just one night, the fire stole their savings, clothes, schoolbooks, wedding photos, and the little comfort they had carved out of hardship.
Children now sit on ash-covered ground where their beds used to be.
Mothers cling to salvaged utensils, the last remnants of a life abruptly erased. Fathers eyes glazed in disbelief rummage through ruins, hoping to recover anything that survived the fire.
As the smoke clears, the pain lingers, so does hope.