All four killed in the accident were the sole earners of their families

People were seen rushing down the path, some lamented in anguish. Four people died at once. They had gone out in search of work but never returned. Villagers said they had never witnessed such a tragedy before, where four people from the same village died together. The loss has plunged four families into mourning, and the air in the village has grown heavy with the cries of grieving relatives.

This scene was seen on Tuesday morning in Bhaigor village under Jotbani union of Birampur upazila in Dinajpur.

Earlier, at around 3:15 am on Monday, a rice-laden truck lost control on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in the Hasanpur area of Daudkandi upazila in Cumilla. The accident left seven people dead and six others injured. Among the victims, four were residents of Bhaigor village in Birampur upazila. All of them were agricultural laborers.

The four victims were Abu Hossain (42), son of valiant freedom fighter Majir Uddin; Bishu Mia (45), son of Saif Uddin; Suman Babu (22), son of Palash Hossain; and Abdur Rashid (65), son of Rafitullah Mondal. Each of them was the sole earning member of their respective families.
In addition, the other three victims were Afzal Hossain (35), Sohrab Hossain (40), and Abu Saleh (45) from Khalipur village in Nawabganj upazila of Dinajpur.

Visiting Bhaigor village this morning, it was seen that the homes of the victims were heavy with the cries of grieving relatives. Neighbors were sitting beside them, trying to offer comfort. The victims’ children were sitting silently, some on verandas, some in courtyards, quietly weeping. News of four people from the same village dying on the same day drew crowds of men, women, and children from surrounding areas to the houses.

Speaking with family members revealed that boro paddy is growing in the fields of Bhaigor village. With little work available in the fields, many agricultural labourers had been idle. In search of extra income and livelihood, the four men often traveled to nearby areas for work. Yesterday, they had set out for Cumilla to harvest paddy.

This morning, Shirin Akter learned of her husband Abu Hossain’s death after calling his mobile phone. She said her husband was the sole earning member of the family, and now she does not know how she will manage with their two children.

Rafiatullah (15), the eldest son of Bishu Mia, is a tenth-grade student at a local school. He said, “Yesterday in the morning, when my father was leaving home, he told me, ‘Study well, son. Take care of your mother and sisters.’ He is now gone forever.”

Dinajpur’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Riaz Uddin, said that seven people from Birampur and Nawabganj upazilas were killed in the road accident in Daudkandi. He added that he has spoken with the Daudkandi Upazila Nirbahi Officer, and arrangements are being made to send the bodies of the deceased back to their homes. The district administration will also provide financial assistance to the families of the victims.