Friday – a regular day off. In Gabtali, Narsingdi, eight-year-old Altafim Hossain Omar and his family were spending an ordinary morning just like any other. But in just a few seconds, an earthquake brought that normality to a halt; their family’s dreams were shattered.
As the tremor began, Omar’s father, Delwar Hossain Uzzal, tried to rush out of the house with his three children. However, before they could get outside, the building’s sunshade collapsed on top of them. Locals rushed to the scene, rescuing Omar, Uzzal, and his two daughters, Usha and Tufa, and took them to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital. Omar and his father were later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.
After arriving at the hospital, at 1:10pm, doctors declared the child Omar dead.
Hearing the tragic news, Omar’s mother rushed from Kishoreganj. At the hospital, she waited for a short while, tearfully hoping to see her son. Seeing her child’s lifeless body in the morgue, she could no longer hold back her tears. In a helpless voice, she said, “Why, Allah, did You not keep me with my family? I don’t want to live like this…”
She could not stay long with her son; she hurried to her husband Uzzal, who was battling for his life in the hospital’s emergency department. Later in the evening, he was declared dead.
Omar’s uncle, Anwar Hossain Setu, told TIMES of Bangladesh,
“We still don’t know the full condition of the house. Everyone inside was injured. Locals first took them to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital, and later Omar and Uzzal were brought to Dhaka Medical College. Look at the poor mother – both son and father have died, and the two daughters are seriously injured.”
Neighbour and rescuer Shah Alam, who helped bring Omar and his father to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said, “This is a dark chapter for Omar’s family. After bringing Uzzal, the doctors bandaged his head and put him on IV, but I didn’t see any improvement.”
Meanwhile, the earthquake on Friday saw relatives crowding Dhaka Medical College Hospital throughout the day. At least 62 people arrived for treatment. Two of them, Omar and his father died while receiving treatment.
Shortly after the tremor, the air on the hospital premises got heavy with siren of ambulances and wailing of near and dear ones as injured people were being brought for treatment. The National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics Rehabilitation and Mitford Hospital in the city also saw similar pictures.
