I want to go, my flight will take off soon – this is what 22-year-old Rashedul Islam kept saying while undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday.
He was scheduled to board a flight to Qatar at 10pm but a strange turn of fate brought him to the end of his life as he succumbed to his burn injuries at the hospital around 5:20pm.
The young man was on his way to Dhaka from his hometown in Cox’s Bazar by a bus of Icon Paribahan to catch the flight at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
But the vehicle came under attack in Chauddagram upazila of Comilla early on Tuesday as unidentified miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at it, leaving seven people dead on the spot and 16 others, including Rashedul, injured. Six of the injured are receiving treatment at the DMCH burn unit.
Dr Partha Shankar Paul, resident surgeon of the burn unit, told the Dhaka Tribune that Rashedul got 80% of his body, including the respiratory system, burnt, which made it impossible for him to survive the arson attack.
Rashedul’s cousin Jakaria Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the 22-year-old lost his father Syed Ahmed many years ago and had since been making a living by working as a farmer.
“After much efforts, he recently got a work visa for Qatar. He was also planning to get married after saving money by working there,” he said.
Jakaria, who was also coming to Dhaka to see Rashedul off at the airport, said he never thought he would have to return home with his cousin’s body.
“One of our uncles, Yusuf, 45, accompanied us during the journey but he also lost his life on the spot,” he added.
Including Rashed, a total of nine burn victims from different parts of the country have died at the DMCH burn unit so far.
Besides, two of the six Comilla victims - Jilkad, 17, and Safiqul Islam, 18 – were said to be in a critical condition. Jilkad got 20% of his body burnt while Safiqul got 28%.
Jilkad’s father Alauddin, with tears in his eyes, told the Dhaka Tribune that his family was very poor.
“As we are poor, we have to do a variety of things to make ends meet. My son worked very hard to make money,” he said.
“It has not yet been a month since my wife died of a disease. Now I have my son on the hospital bed with burn injuries in his body. How will I live if anything bad happens to him?”