A simple family journey intended to reunite loved ones ended in utter tragedy on Friday when a collision between a passenger bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Mymensingh claimed seven lives, leaving a village in Jamalpur speechlessly grief-stricken.
Six of the victims were residents of Ranagacha Union in Jamalpur Sadar Upazila, including four members of a single family, one of whom was a pregnant woman.
As news of the fatal crash reached their ancestral home on Friday, a deep shadow of mourning descended across the entire district.
The deceased family members, all from Dorihamidpur Bhatipara village, have been identified as 55-year-old Mofazzal Hossain Lebu, his 85-year-old mother Rashida Begum, his 25-year-old daughter Morjina, and her five-year-old son Minal.
The two other identified victims from the union were Sujon Ali of Bir Gobindabari village and Akram Ali of Badechandi village.
For Mofazzal Hossain Lebu, a mason by profession who worked as a day-labourer in Gazipur where he resided in the Hutapara area with his wife and a son, the journey home on Thursday was driven by devotion to his family.
He had travelled to his village home specifically to bring his elderly mother, married daughter, and young grandson back with him to Gazipur.
Setting off at around 11:30am on Friday, the family planned to travel by CNG auto-rickshaw from Nandina to Mymensingh, where they intended to board a bus for Gazipur. However, their hope of a life together in Gazipur was tragically cut short when they perished on the highway before reaching their destination.
The simultaneous loss of four family members spanning three generations has left surviving relatives utterly speechless in their grief. In tears, Ismatara, a relative of Lebu, recounted how he worked tirelessly as a day-labourer in Gazipur and had returned home to fetch his loved ones.
Noting that 25-year-old Morjina was two months pregnant at the time of the crash, Ismatara wept that losing everyone at once has rendered the family completely destitute.
Outraged and heartbroken by the tragedy, local residents gathered to demand exemplary punishment for the killer bus and its driver.
Local resident Sohel Rana expressed the community’s profound sorrow, noting that buses operated by Rajib Paribahan cause frequent accidents and demanding proper justice for the victims.
According to figures compiled by locals, buses belonging to Rajib Paribahan have been involved in nine accidents over the past 20 months alone, claiming at least 18 lives.
Moved by the immense human cost, local residents demanded that those responsible for the crash be swiftly identified and brought to trial, alongside effective measures to halt further road fatalities.
