Four expatriate brothers from Rangunia in Chittagong, whose bodies were recovered from inside a car in Oman, were laid to rest in their village graveyard on Wednesday following a joint funeral prayer attended by thousands.
The burial came after an emotionally charged namaz-e-janaza at 11am at the Hosnabad High School ground, led by their only surviving younger brother, Hafiz Muhammad Enamul Haque, a madrasa teacher. Before the prayer, he broke down in tears and urged mourners to forgive his brothers and pray for the bereaved family.
The bodies arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Tuesday at 8:15pm on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. After formalities, they were transported in a refrigerated vehicle to their ancestral home in Lalanagar union of Rangunia early Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Shahidul Islam, Sirajul Islam, Sohidul Islam, and Rashedul Islam, sons of the late Jamal Uddin. Among them, Rashedul and one Shahidul were married, while Sirajul and the other Sohidul were unmarried.
Thousands of residents from Lalanagar and surrounding areas gathered to view the bodies, with many struggling to process the simultaneous deaths.
At the family home, mourners poured in from the morning. Their mother, Khadija Begum, was seen wailing inside the house, while the wives of Rashedul and Shahidul—Kulsum Akter and Shanta Akter—also broke down repeatedly and fainted in grief.
“There is no condition in the house for anyone to speak. Four brothers have died together. No one has words to console their mother,” said local resident Safia Begum.
After the janaza, the brothers were buried in adjacent graves at the village graveyard.
Local resident Yakub Ali said such a tragedy had never been witnessed in the village before, calling it “beyond description.”
Another resident, MA Motin, said the brothers had built a car-washing business in Oman over the past 11 years after migrating one after another and eventually became financially stable with two vehicles. “But their sudden and collective death is unbearable,” he said.
Lalanagar Union Parishad Ward-5 member Amir Hossain Suman confirmed the burial arrangement.
Rangunia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Nazmul Hasan said the bodies arrived early Wednesday and all funeral and burial procedures were completed.
According to Oman police, the four brothers were found on May 13 inside a car in the Muladdah area. They suspect carbon monoxide poisoning from vehicle exhaust fumes while the engine was running with air-conditioning on.
Family sources said the two unmarried brothers were scheduled to return home on May 15 for wedding preparations. The four had gone out together for wedding shopping when the incident occurred. Their coffins were later brought back home as mourning continues across the household.
