Two Bangladeshis lose their lives in Egypt

The death of two Bangladeshis in Egypt in a short period of time, carrying dreams of higher education and a bright future, has cast a shadow of grief over the Bangladeshi diaspora community and their respective communities. One was a student going to study at Al-Azhar University, the other a child who had gone with her mother in the hope of a better education.

Imam Mahmud Sa'd, son of Ruhul Amin of Chupair village in Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur, recently went to Cairo, Egypt to study at Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest educational institutions in the world. He fell seriously ill about three weeks after arriving there.

According to family and expatriate Bangladeshi sources, he had been suffering from a high fever for several days along with long-standing diabetes-related problems. When his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to Khairul Minara Hospital in Cairo. He died while undergoing treatment there.

It is learnt that the process of sending his body back home after completing the necessary legal procedures with the assistance of the Bangladesh Embassy is underway.

On the other hand, Raiman Islam, the only child of Mahbub Islam and Mosa Bina, a couple from Rajapur village in Raninagar upazila of Naogaon, died in Cairo, Egypt. His mother had taken him there with the intention of raising him in a better education and religious environment.

Family members said that Rayman suddenly developed a high fever. The child suffered two cardiac arrests on the way to the hospital. He later died two days later while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Abbasia Hummiyat Hospital in Cairo.

Raiman Islam's burial was completed at the Hantash Cemetery in Abure, Cairo, with the assistance of the embassy and local expatriate Bangladeshis. Raiman's father, Mahbub Islam, was unable to travel to Egypt on an emergency basis as he was working in Saudi Arabia. As a result, he was unable to attend his son's last moments or the burial.

On the one hand, the untimely death of a student who had gone abroad with dreams of higher education, and on the other hand, the death of a child who had gone to Egypt with his mother with dreams of a future - both incidents have caused deep grief among Bangladeshis living abroad.