Family tragedy leaves Rajshahi woman widowed and indebted after Padma River boat capsizes
Photo Collected
A woman is mourning the loss of her husband and son after their boat capsized in the Padma River near Rajshahi on Tuesday, leaving her as the sole survivor of her immediate family. Zahera Begum, who has lived along the riverbanks her entire life, managed to swim to safety as the vessel sank, but her husband, 60-year-old Kawsar Ali, and their 30-year-old son, Jiarul Islam, were swept away by the turbulent waters.
The tragedy has left Zahera, a resident of the Shyampur Balughat area, not only grieving but facing a dire financial crisis. To establish a business transporting ‘jhau’ trees from the river islands to the Charghat market, Kawsar had taken a loan of 160,000 taka to build the boat. The family was committed to repaying the debt in weekly installments of 2,500 taka. With the vessel lost to the river and the primary breadwinners missing, the family is now burdened by both insurmountable grief and the weight of unpaid debt.
বিজ্ঞাপন
The boat was returning from a river island when it encountered rough water near the Barokuthi area. Despite efforts by nearby vessels to assist, the swift currents pulled both Kawsar and Jiarul under. While rescue efforts have been underway, officials from the Fire Service and Civil Defense confirmed that the bodies had not been recovered as of Wednesday evening. Manzil Haque, deputy director of the Rajshahi fire station, stated that monitoring efforts remain in place along the river stretching toward Kushtia, waiting for the bodies to surface.
This is not the first time Zahera has faced the dangers of the Padma. She recounted having survived three previous boating accidents throughout her life, each time relying on her ability to swim to reach the shore. On Tuesday, however, her survival was marked by the haunting memory of watching her husband and son disappear beneath the surface.
বিজ্ঞাপন
At the family’s home, the atmosphere remains one of profound desperation. Jiarul’s wife, Sayera Khatun, is now left to care for their two young children, 11-year-old Tamim and 7-year-old Tasmira. With no remaining source of income, Sayera has issued a plea for government assistance, expressing a singular, heartbreaking hope: that the bodies of her husband and father-in-law are recovered so the family can provide them with a proper burial. For Zahera, who continues to wait by the riverbank, the tragedy has left her questioning why she was spared while those she loved were claimed by the water.
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