A pal of gloom descended on Naogoan, Harinal, Lagalia, Titarkul, Prahladpur and the adjacent villages under Gazipur Sadar and Shreepur upazilas as the news of 18 people including seven of a family from the area getting killed and 25 more injured in a road accident in Cox’s Bazar early Monday.
The seven members of a family killed in the accident were identified as Lal Miah, 70, his wives Joynab Begum,
65, and Mofiza Akhter, 45, daughter Sheuli Akhter, 14, brother Abdur Rashid, 50, brother-in-law Abdul Jalil, 55, and grandson Nusrat Jahan, 7, of Naogoan village.
The rest of the deceased passengers were identified as Afsar Uddin Paloan, 55, Aiyes Ali, 60, Abdur Rauf, 50, Hanif Miah, 45, Mohammad Ali, 50, Iqbal Hossain, 28, Rajib, 30, Ahij Uddin, 30, Abdus Sattar, 42, and Latifa Begum, 45.
The bus driver was also killed in the accident, but his identity could not be known immediately.
Families and kin of the dead burst into tears at the bolt from the blue. They had been waiting for the bodies of their near and dear ones to arrive from Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar till filling of this report at 6:30pm.
The mishap took place as a bus carrying the picnickers plunged into the Matamuhuri in Chakaria on Monday morning.
The passengers hailed from Naogaon, Harinal, and Lagalia villages under Sadar upazila and Prahladpur village under Sreepur upazila of Gazipur.
Family members of the victims said a total of 80 people, all followers of Maijbhandari, went to pay their respect to the Maijbhandar Sharif at Fatikchari of Chittagong on Sunday in two buses of Nirapad Super Service.
After offering prayers there, a group of devotees set out for Gazipur again while another group of 43 devotees headed for Cox’s Bazar sea beach at around 1:00am on Monday.
The Cox’s Bazar-bound bus plunged into the Matamuhuri breaking through the railing of a bridge at around 5:00am, causing the tragic casualties.
Courtesy of New Age
