Masuma killed in Uttara jet crash had dreams for her son

Masuma Begum, 38, an employee who died after being severely burned in the Uttara fighter jet crash, was laid to rest in her village.

She was buried at the family graveyard in Batamara village, under Boro Manika Union of Borhanuddin Upazila in Bhola, following her funeral prayer at 9:30am today, Sunday.

Earlier, she passed away while undergoing treatment in the ICU of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at around 10:30am on Saturday.

Masuma’s body arrived at the village around 12:30am last night, according to family sources.

Her husband, Md Selim, works as a driver at a buying house. A year after their marriage, he moved to Dhaka with his wife in search of a better future. Five years ago, Masuma got a job as a support staff member (aya) at Milestone School and College. Her salary from the school brought some financial stability to the family.

Masuma and Selim's elder daughter, Sumaiya, is married. Their younger son, Md Mansur, is a sixth-grade student.

Grief-stricken Masuma’s husband Selim, 41, said, “She could have saved herself by escaping through the back, but instead, she thought of the children and tried to save them. That’s how she got burned. She had a strong desire to raise our son to be a good human being. She wanted to educate him. She had so many dreams for our children. But due to poverty, she couldn’t do everything. Still, she was slowly making those dreams come true. Now, those dreams are shattered. Our two children are left orphaned.”

Selim said, “I have nothing left—everything is gone. My wife and I had many hopes, many dreams. We wanted to move forward in life. We were already a helpless family, and now, after losing my wife, I feel even more helpless. My son is in sixth grade. I don’t know how I’ll raise him now.”

“On the day of the incident, I received a phone call at 1:10pm saying that a training aircraft had crashed onto the school. When I reached the burn unit, I saw my wife in the emergency room. The last time we spoke was around 2:30pm that day. She asked my forgiveness and told me to take care of the children," Selim added. He also quoted his wife as saying 'I may not survive'.  

The funeral prayer for Masuma Begum was attended by Borhanuddin Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Raihanuzzaman. He said, “We all share in this grief. On behalf of the district administration, we have assured the affected family of our support. Government assistance will be delivered in due time.”