The bodies of seven expatriates from Sandwip upazila of Chittagong who were killed in a road accident in Oman reached their respective areas on Sunday morning.
When seven ambulances carrying the bodies reached the Guptachara ferry ghat in Sandwip together, a shadow of mourning fell across the entire island. The funeral prayers and burials of the deceased were held at various places near their homes from morning to 12 noon. The overflowing crowd of local residents and relatives was noticeable at each funeral.
It is mentioned that on October 8, eight Bangladeshis were killed in a horrific road accident on their way home from work in the Dukhum area of Oman. Seven of them are from Sandwip upazila of Chittagong. The deceased are - Amin Sawdagar (50), Md. Sahabuddin (28), Md. Bablu (28), Md. Rocky (27), Md. Arju (26), Md. Jewel (28) and Mosharraf Hossain Roni (26). Five of them are residents of Sarikait Union, one is from Maitbhanga Union and the other is a resident of Ward No. 3 of Sandwip Municipality.
The other deceased expatriate, Alauddin, is from Chikdair Union of Raojan.
The bodies arrived at Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport on Bangladesh Biman flight BG-122 at 9 pm on Saturday . The bodies were handed over to the relatives after the formalities at 10:30 pm.
The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare provided a cheque of Tk 35,000 to each family for burial expenses. At that time, Sandwip Upazila BNP leader Engineer Belayet Hossain, Advocate Abu Taher, Alamgir Hossain Thakur, Mustafa Kamal Babul, Jamaat leader Alauddin Sikder, businessman Nurul Mustafa Khokon and leaders of various political parties were present.
The bodies reached Sandwip in seven freezer ambulances from Sitakunda Banshbaria Ferry Ghat at 7 am today, Sunday. Although the upazila administration had organized a joint funeral at the East Sandwip High School ground and South Sandwip High School ground as per the previous announcement, the decision was made to hold a family funeral at the request of the relatives as the body could not be bathed in Oman.
The funeral of Roni, son of Hashem Sawdagar of Sandwip Municipality Ward No. 3, was held in the former Talukder Market area.
A large number of people participated in each funeral. Meanwhile, various political and social organizations have also demanded financial assistance and employment for the families of the deceased.
Sandwip UNO Mangchingnu Marma said, "The untimely death of seven remittance fighters at once is a matter of deep sorrow for the people of Sandwip. Today is a sad day for the people of the island."
Sandwip Upazila BNP leader Engineer Belayet Hossain said, "The government should take steps to provide a job for one member of the family of the deceased."
