Family of Shahed from Bogura mourns after he dies in missile attack in Saudi Arabia
Mohsin Raju, Bogura Bureau
Shahed Ahmed Ashik of Bogura took a month of leave and spent it at home. He said goodbye to his wife and children and went back to Saudi Arabia. Nobody knew that this trip would be his last goodbye to his family.
News of his death in a missile attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has brought grief to his home. The home is in West Para of Madla in Shajahanpur upazila, Bogura. His wife lost her husband, and his two young children lost their father. His relatives lost their son and are stunned with grief.
Shahed Ahmed Ashik lived in West Para village of Madla in Shajahanpur upazila, Bogura. The day before the day before yesterday, at 9 am, he boarded a flight to Saudi Arabia. The day before that, he said goodbye at his home in Shajahanpur, Bogura, and prepared for the journey. He was going back to work after about a month at home. But he never reached his workplace.
His family said Shahed first went to Saudi Arabia two years ago. His father, Rafiqul Islam, has worked in Saudi Arabia as an expatriate for about 27 years. His mother went to Saudi Arabia three months ago to perform Umrah. Shahed’s wife lives at the village home with their two sons, who are 11 and 6 years old.
The wife is lost without her husband. The news of the father’s death has left a great emptiness in the lives of the two children. Shahed’s relatives in Bangladesh learned of his tragic death online. The news also reached his parents in Saudi Arabia online.
The day before yesterday, a missile hit the Terminal 3 area of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Two Bangladeshis died in the attack. Four more Bangladeshis were injured. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they are now being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of King Khalid Hospital in Riyadh.
