An 18-month-old girl died after a piece of heavy furniture fell on her at a furniture shop in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, on Tuesday afternoon.
The child, identified as Faiza, was fatally injured at the Bhai Bhai Furniture shop in the Jewel Road area of Mijmiji Tera Market at around the afternoon of 25 August. She was the daughter of Farhad Mia, a garment worker living in the area.
According to local residents, Farhad had taken his young daughter with him when he visited the furniture shop. At one point, shop employees called him over to speak with them. While her father was talking to the workers, Faiza, who had been a short distance away, began crawling towards him.
Suddenly, a heavy piece of furniture toppled over and fell directly onto the child. She was trapped underneath the furniture and died at the scene, according to people who witnessed the incident.
The sudden death left the child’s family devastated. Farhad, speaking in tears, said he had taken his daughter to the shop with him and was moving towards the employees when the tragedy occurred.
“My daughter was crawling towards me while I was going to speak to the shop employee. Then the furniture fell on her. I watched my daughter die in front of my eyes,” he said.
Local people gathered at the shop shortly after the incident. Some residents alleged that the accident may have occurred because heavy furniture and other goods had not been stored securely inside the premises.
The allegations, however, have not been independently verified. It is also not clear from the initial account whether the furniture had been improperly secured or precisely what caused it to topple. Any question of negligence would require investigation and evidence.
The incident has also raised concerns about safety arrangements in shops where large and heavy furniture is stored or displayed. Such items can pose a serious risk if they are unstable or placed in areas where customers, particularly young children, can come into close contact with them. Proper placement and securing of heavy items are essential to reduce the possibility of accidental falls.
Siddhirganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Emdadul Haque said he was not aware of the incident when contacted. He said that if a complaint was filed and negligence was found, action would be taken in accordance with the law.
Faiza’s death has cast a pall of grief over her family and the local community. The loss of an 18-month-old child in a sudden accident has left relatives and neighbours shocked, while questions remain over whether adequate precautions were taken when the heavy furniture was stored inside the shop.
