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Published : 21 Mar 2026, 05:57 PM
The drums of a wedding had barely faded when tragedy struck -- a devastating collision on the Rampal road has erased Eid joy for a Mongla household, leaving behind silence, tears and an unfillable void.
The family is trapped in shock after losing nine members in the accident on Mar 12 -- that claimed 14 lives in total.
At their home on Sattar Lane in Shela Bunia of Mongla Municipality, the surviving members break down repeatedly.
A pall of gloom has descended over the family of Abdur Razzaq, a local BNP leader, who was among those killed.
The household had been preparing to welcome a new bride from neighbouring Khulna in what was meant to be a festive Eid season.
Instead, a head-on collision between a Navy bus and the microbus carrying the bridal party turned celebration into catastrophe.
The crash occurred just 15km before they were to reach home.
Razzaq’s younger son Ahadur Rahman Sabbir had recently married Marzia Akhter Mitu of Naksa village in Koyra Upazila.
The newlyweds, along with family members, were returning to Mongla when the accident struck.
Even neighbours say the grief is too overwhelming to bear.
The once-busy household has fallen silent -- there are no Eid preparations, no signs of celebration.
Razzaq’s eldest son Ashrafur Rahman Jony narrowly escaped the tragedy after choosing to return home on a motorcycle instead of the microbus.
“Nine members of my family died in the accident. If my youngest brother and I had been in that microbus, we might not have survived either,” he said, breaking down in tears.
Among the remaining victims, four were from the bride’s family, while the other was the microbus driver from Rampal.
Recalling the family’s recent days, Jony said: “Six months ago, my fourth brother got married. Sabbir’s marriage was arranged suddenly.
“This Eid was supposed to be a grand celebration in our house.”
Instead, he has lost his father, son, two brothers, two sisters-in-law, his only sister and a nephew in a single moment of devastation.
Mongla municipal BNP leader Khorshed Alam said the grief has engulfed not just the family but the entire neighbourhood.
“No one in Razzaq’s family is happy now. Even neighbours are in mourning,” he said.
“May such deaths not happen again -- may our roads be safe.”
