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Family of Bangladeshi worker, 33, killed in PIE lorry accident fears telling ailing mother of death

SINGAPORE — The migrant worker who died in an accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Tuesday (April 20) morning was a 33-year-old Bangladeshi who leaves behind a two-year-old son, widow and other family members, all of whom relied on his income.

Tofazzal Hossain, 33, died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident on the PIE on April 20, 2021. The migrant worker was travelling in the rear of a lorry that crashed into a stationary vehicle.

Tofazzal Hossain, 33, died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident on the PIE on April 20, 2021. The migrant worker was travelling in the rear of a lorry that crashed into a stationary vehicle.

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  • The extended family of Tofazzal Hossain, 33, relied on his Singapore income
  • He leaves behind a two-year-old son, his wife, ailing parents and five siblings
  • He last visited Bangladesh in 2018, the year he got married

 

SINGAPORE — The migrant worker who died in an accident along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Tuesday (April 20) morning was a 33-year-old Bangladeshi who leaves behind a two-year-old son, widow and other family members, all of whom relied on his income.

The deceased, Tofazzal Hossain, was also very close to his 57-year-old mother, said the man’s brother Abdul Haziz.

Mr Abdul, 27, told TODAY on Wednesday through a Bengali interpreter that his mother has yet to be informed of his brother’s death as the family is worried that she would not survive the news. She recently underwent heart surgery.

“She only knows that her son had an accident,” said Mr Abdul, who is one of Tofazzal’s five siblings.

Tofazzal had worked in Singapore since 2009.

He was among 17 passengers, aged between 23 and 46, sitting in the rear of a lorry when it crashed into a stationary tipper truck along the PIE towards Changi Airport, before the Jalan Bahar exit early on Tuesday morning.

The police said they were alerted to the accident around 6am, and that they had arrested the 36-year-old lorry driver for careless driving causing death.

Investigations are ongoing, said the police.

The Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) said in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening that nine of the injured workers have been discharged from hospital after being treated for minor injuries while the remaining seven remain warded.

Out of the seven, two are in the intensive care unit, said the non-governmental organisation that looks after the welfare of migrant workers.

Tofazzal’s 63-year-old father was aware of his son’s death but broke down during a phone conversation with TODAY and was unable to proceed with the interview beyond saying that his son was a “very good boy” who was beautiful and had a very kind heart.

“Everything is over,” said the older man, who did not provide his name. “Please help us, we are in a very bad situation.”

Mr Abdul said his father is diabetic, and had just recovered from Covid-19 disease which had claimed the life of Tofazzal's grandfather a month ago.

Mr Abdul described his brother as a calm person who never sought out quarrels, and was loved by everyone. He added that Tofazzal had last visited home in 2018, the year he got married.

While Mr Abdul did not state where their hometown is, he said that his brother was at least able to speak to his family two days ago, though this did not include his beloved two-year-old son.

Tofazzal first arrived in Singapore in 2009, and would typically remit between 30,000 and 50,000 taka per month (S$470 to S$784), said Mr Abdul who told TODAY that his brother was the sole breadwinner of the family.

Aside from Tofazzal’s latest contribution of 35,000 taka for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he had also given the family 200,000 taka (about S$3,100) for his mother’s recent open heart surgery, said Mr Abdul, who added that she also requires blood pressure medicine and insulin for diabetes.

Mr Abdul said his brother’s body is scheduled to be repatriated on Friday afternoon.

It'sRainingRaincoats, a community organisation here that works to support the needs of migrant workers, said that it is in touch with the family to offer grief counselling.

MWC said in its Facebook post on Tuesday that concerned members of the public who wish to help the affected workers may contribute to its charity arm, the Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund, via the national fundraising platform at https://www.giving.sg/mwaf.

Related topics

accident police lorry truck PIE foreign worker death

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