What began as an ordinary Friday morning in Rupganj turned into a nightmare for the family of Abdul Haque. A brief tremor, lasting only seconds, has shattered their lives—taking the life of a ten-month-old girl and leaving her mother critically injured.
Kulsum Begum had only one instinct when the earthquake struck at 10:38am: to reach her elder daughter, who was at her grandparents’ house just a short walk away. Holding baby Fatema tightly to her chest, she stepped out of her rented home in Islamabagh. But before she could take more than a few steps, the boundary wall beside the road—cracked, unstable, and neglected for years—collapsed without warning.
Neighbours heard the deafening crash and rushed to the spot, finding Kulsum buried under bricks and mortar, unconscious, her infant daughter lifeless in her arms. Another neighbour, Jesmin Begum, who had run outside in fear, was also injured.
While Fatema’s tiny body was carried away for burial, the hours that followed turned into a desperate pursuit for medical help for Kulsum. Her family drove from one Dhaka hospital to another—only to be told repeatedly that no beds were available. The repeated refusals forced them, exhausted and helpless, to take the seriously injured mother back to a small rented flat in Shyambazar.
The tragedy became even more heart-wrenching when Abdul Haque, torn between his daughter’s burial and his wife’s treatment, had to forgo attending the funeral. Fatema was buried without either parent present. Relatives say Kulsum, still drifting in and out of consciousness, remains unaware of her daughter’s death.
Local officials later confirmed that the collapsed wall lacked basic structural support. The administration has offered financial assistance and promised to intervene so that Kulsum receives proper medical attention.