Father misses daughter’s funeral, rushes between hospitals with injured wife

The 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled Bangladesh on Friday has upended the lives of Abdul Haque and Kulsum Begum, a couple from Narayanganj, who lost their 10-month-old daughter in the disaster.

The daughter, Fatema, identified with a single name, was in her mother’s lap when a wall collapsed on them, killing the daughter on the spot and leaving Kulsum seriously injured.

Nusaiba Zannat, 2, the elder daughter of the couple, was in her grandmother’s house nearby, escaping the disaster.

With the children growing up fast, the couple, in their 30s, had lately been sharing with relatives their dream of sending their daughters to a madrasa soon.  

“The child died in her mother’s life. We removed bricks to find her lifeless body. The mother was unconscious,” said Imtiaz Bhuiyan, a neighbour, one of the first responders.

Fatema was buried at a local graveyard in the afternoon, in the absence of both her parents.

“Abdul Haque is busy running between hospitals with his injured wife. Three hospitals he visited did not have the treatment needed. Two hospitals refused admission, citing lack of space,” said Mohammad Hossain, Fatema’s uncle.

Kulsum was first taken to the US Bangla Medical College Hospital in Rupganj, from where she was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said Mohammad. She was turned away from DMCH, citing a lack of beds, and was later denied admission at another private hospital in Dhaka.

“We have been looking for a hospital for a while. Dhaka Medical washed her wound, bandaged it and then said there were no seats,” he said.

“How can we go back home with a patient still unconscious with head injuries?” asked Mohammad, who spoke over the phone standing outside a hospital in Dhaka.

“We are poor and have no influence,” said Mohammad.

A doctor advised taking Kulsum to the National Institute of Neurosciences, and the family waited for an ambulance late into the evening.

“I am not sure whether she will survive the time needed to take her to the hospital,” said Mohammad.

Narayanganj Upazila administrator Saiful Islam said the wall collapsed in a village where there were no multi-storied buildings. The neighbourhood where the disaster struck was built on low wetland over the last two decades.

The wall that collapsed had no pillar, he said.    

“The wall rose to 10 feet. Most infrastructure in villages are not built following rules. This happens because of a lack of regulation,” said Saiful.

One- or two-story buildings in the village are all constructed without following any construction code.

Saiful promised to help Kulsum get admitted after hearing about her ordeal.

Three buildings tilted in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj while several others developed cracks, including a school building in Hirajheel. The extent of the damage is currently being assessed.