'Calls come from Abroad on my phone... I see only fire and fire'
The lamentation of Apon's father, whose son died in a fire in South Africa. Photo: Agamir Somoy
"Which country has my son gone to... the fire service cannot put out the fire... on my phone I see fire and fire..." This was what Ali Mia of Narayanganj Sadar screaming out loud and gasping. He was telling others in extreme grief the news of his son's demise in a South Africa shop fire.
Ali's son, Apon Ahmed (23), was burned to death in a fire that broke out at a shop in Queenstown, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Six Bangladeshis who were inside the shop also lost their lives. Among them, four—including Apon—hailed from the lush green Alirtek Union on the banks of the Dhaleshwari River in Narayanganj Sadar.
Apon Ahmed (23).
Besides Apon, the other deceased are: Md. Fahim (19), son of Monir Hossain from Krokerchar village in Alirtek Union; Nur Mohammad (55), son of late Shorob Ali; Md. Foysal (26), son of Faruk Hossain from Tailkhirarchar village; Md. Shahin (30) from Kanainagar village in Baktaboli Union; and another Md. Shahin (30), son of late Salam Bepari from Mirkadim municipality in Munshiganj district.
The news of such deaths has plunged the residents of Alirtek Union into grief. Mourning echoes through the families of the deceased.
As he spoke of his son's death, Ali Mia cried out in grief and anger. "Since morning, calls have been coming from abroad; on my phone I just saw fire and fire. The fire was burning and burning... In the morning, my uncle-in-law delivered me the news – the shop where my son Apon worked had caught fire. Which country has my son gone to? They say the fire is still burning, and the fire service cannot put it out," he said.
Ali revealed that four years ago, Apon went to work at a shop in South Africa owned by a local member (union councilor) to support the family in poverty. "For the sake of filling our stomachs, my boy endured so much hardship... my son used to pray five times a day and keep fasts. You suffered so much in life, my son. Allah has taken that boy of mine away..." Ali wailed.
At Fahim's house, locals gathered to offer condolences. Speaking there, a relative of Fahim said Fahim had been in South Africa for 11 years. They had received news that his body had not yet been recovered as of the afternoon.
The burnt shop belongs to Rowshan Ali, the member of Ward No. 4 of Alirtek Union, who is currently in the country. Rowshan said, "I learned around noon that my shop in South Africa had caught fire. At that time, there were seven employees in the shop; six were dead on the spot. I saw on a video call that the fire is still not fully under control—I'm not sure. The fire has not been extinguished yet."
"All those who died worked at my shop. We are all grieving; please pray for them. We are trying to get more details," he added.
S.M. Faiz Uddin, Executive Officer (UNO) of Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, said, "We haven't received any message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yet. Through various media, I've learned that five of the deceased are from Narayanganj and one from Munshiganj. We are checking on the affected families and will visit them to offer our support."
Tarek Al Mehedi, Additional Police Superintendent (Crime) of Narayanganj, learned the news from the media. "We came to know about this through the media. We haven't received any official message yet. The concerned police station has been informed," he said.
