Four Bangladeshi brothers who died in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning incident in Oman were laid to rest side by side on Wednesday in their ancestral village in southeastern Bangladesh, drawing thousands of mourners in an emotional farewell.
The funeral prayers for Rasedul Islam, Shahedul Islam, Sirajul Islam and Shahidul Islam were held at 11:00 am in Bandarajarpara village under Lalanagar union in Rangunia upazila of Chattogram district.
The brothers, who had travelled to Oman together in search of a better future, were buried next to each other in the family graveyard after the funeral attended by an estimated 20,000 people, according to local residents.
Their only surviving brother, Maulana Mohammad Enam, led the funeral prayers, a moment that left many mourners overcome with grief.
From early morning, crowds from different parts of the area gathered at the funeral ground and surrounding roads to pay their last respects. Witnesses said the atmosphere turned deeply emotional as the four coffins were placed side by side before the prayers.
Relatives broke down in tears while many in attendance struggled to hold back their emotions during the final farewell.
The brothers’ mother, Farida Begum, was not fully informed about the deaths of all four sons until Wednesday morning. Family members initially told her about the death of one son and later informed her about two deaths.
About an hour before the funeral, when the bodies were brought to the family home in two freezer ambulances, she was taken before the coffins and came face to face with the bodies of her four sons, creating scenes of heartbreak across the village.
Residents said they could never have imagined witnessing such a tragedy in their community. Thousands rushed to the village for a final glimpse of the brothers before the burial.
The bodies arrived at the village early Wednesday, casting a pall of grief over the entire area.
According to family sources, the four brothers died last week after being exposed to toxic carbon monoxide gas inside a vehicle in the Al Milidda area of Oman.
