A gloomy Eid for Abir

On Wednesday afternoon, garment worker Shariful Islam received a phone call from his five-year old son, Abir.

The child inquired when he would be able to see his father at his home. Shariful replied that he would be home by Thursday.

However, sadly, his father was killed in a road accident in Gaibandha on Thursday morning.

Shariful, with 19 more people, was returning home by truck.

At least 13 people were killed and six others were injured in that accident after the truck crashed into a ditch in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha.

And Shariful was one of the deceased.

All the passengers were returning to their village homes to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr.  

The deceased are: Shamsul Alam, 65, of Dharakhanda village in Pirganj upazila; Shoaib Miah, 7, Abdul Hannan, 18, Monirul Islam, 20, Arshad Ali, 35, of Shanerhat Bara Paharpur village, as well as his two sons – Akash Miah, 15, and Obaidul Islam, 8; Alamin, 17, Ishak Khan, 14, and Imran, 22; Shariful Islam, 25, of Ramchandrapur village of Kaunia in Rangpur; Mizanur Rahman of Kurigram; and Abdul Mottalib, 23, of Palashbari in Gaibandha.     

The truck left Chattogram and reached Gazipur on Wednesday. The passengers, including three children, boarded the truck. The accident occurred on Dhaka-Rangpur Highway.

Mohammad Touhidul Islam, police superintendent of Gaibandha said that the victims were riding on a truck covered with tarpaulin.

"So, it was not possible to know that passengers were riding on the truck. Three minors also died in the accident," he added. 

Three investigation committees have been formed to look into the matter, said the police official.

Deputy Commissioner Abdul Matin said that the families of each of the deceased will get Tk10,000.

The injured are being treated at different hospitals, he added.