Storm destroys their homes, bus takes their lives

The family's struggle started when their home was destroyed in a recent nor'wester in Faridpur on March 28.

After enduring a really difficult time for over two weeks, which included Ramadan days and Eid-ul-Fitr, the family finally saw a ray of hope.

The family got enlisted to receive government relief to build their home again, making them believe their days of suffering would finally be over.

With that dream, Rafikul Islam Milon Mollah and his family were on their way to receive corrugated iron sheets from the relief wing of Faridpur DC office.

He, along with his wife Sumi Begum, 35, sons -- Ruhan, 9, Habib,6 --  and grandmother-in-law Morjina Begum, 70, left their village in Boalmari upazila yesterday morning in a pickup van.

But fate had other plans, as just before reaching the destination, their van collided head-on with a bus on the Dhaka-Khulna highway at Faridpur Sadar upazila.

All of them died in that collision, and so did their dreams of starting their lives anew by rebuilding their homestead.

At least 14 people were dead and 15 others  injured in the head-on collision between the pick-up and the bus yesterday morning.

The accident occurred when the Magura-bound bus of Unique Paribahan from Dhaka collided with the pickup carrying Milon's family.

see page 4 col 2