Published : 29 Jul 2026, 02:27 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:28 AM
For 10 years, Md Fahim had worked in South Africa to lift his family out of hardship. This year, the 28-year-old planned to return home after completing his paperwork. Instead, he died in a fire that tore through a shop in Eastern Cape’s Queenstown.
Fahim, from Krokarchar village in Narayanganj's Alirtek Union, was among six Bangladeshis killed in the blaze. Three of the victims were from the same village.
His family's morning on Tuesday began with devastating news.
Inside their home, his mother, two sisters and twin brothers wept inconsolably. In the next room, his father Monir Hossain sat in stunned silence.
"I have nothing to say. I woke up to the news of my son's death. What more can I say?" he whispered.
Relative Al-Amin said Fahim oversaw the shop's staff and had planned to return home within months.
"He supported the entire family. He dreamed of coming back and getting married. None of that will happen now."
Twenty-year-old Apon, another victim known by a single name, had gone to South Africa four years ago. His grieving mother repeatedly cried, "Bring my son back."
His brother known only as Jewel said Apon had hoped to finish building their family home. "The house is rising, but his dream has died."
The families of 55-year-old Nur Mohammad, Faisal, Shahin and Rajik -- the last three victims identified by single names -- are also mourning.
