Oman expat loses seven family members on way to home in tragic road accident in Bangladesh

A long-awaited reunion ended in unimaginable grief for Bahar Uddin, an expatriate worker who had just returned to Bangladesh from Oman, when a horrific road accident claimed the lives of seven members of his family in Noakhali on Wednesday.

The victims, residents of Choupalli village in Laxmipur’s Sadar upazila, had travelled to Dhaka to welcome Bahar home after his years of working abroad. But what began as a joyful journey turned tragic on the road back.

According to police, the family was travelling in a microbus that veered off the road and plunged into a canal near Chandraganj Dakshin Bazar in Begumganj upazila around 5:40am. Seven people died instantly.

The deceased include Bahar’s wife Kabita (22), their young daughter Mim Akter (2), his mother Morshida Begum (50), maternal grandmother Faizunnessa (60), sister-in-law Laboni Akter (25), and Laboni’s two daughters—Reshma (9) and Lamia (8).

Bahar was among 13 passengers in the vehicle. He survived, but now faces the devastating loss of nearly his entire immediate family.

Speaking in anguish, Bahar said, “I worked abroad for years to give them a better life. I never imagined I would come home to this.”

He accused the driver of reckless behaviour, claiming the man abandoned the vehicle moments before the crash. “He jumped out and ran away instead of trying to save anyone,” Bahar said, calling for the driver’s arrest and punishment.

Officer-in-Charge Md Mobarak Hossain Bhuiyan of the Chandraganj Highway Police Station confirmed the vehicle was speeding at the time of the accident. "Our preliminary investigation suggests reckless driving and high speed caused the crash. The vehicle has been seized, and efforts are underway to locate the absconding driver,” he said.

Local residents expressed shock and sorrow over the incident. Some suggested the driver may have been fatigued or inattentive behind the wheel.

Emergency responders from the police and fire service recovered the bodies and removed the microbus from the canal.

Instead of celebrating a long-awaited return, Bahar is now preparing to bury his loved ones—his dreams of family reunification shattered in an instant.