In Sandwip, Chattogram, an expatriate had launched a free speedboat service to transport helpless patients and bodies. In a tragic turn of events, he himself returned as the second “passenger” of that very service — inside a coffin.

Just a day before a fatal road accident in Oman on 8 October, he had written on his Facebook account that a free speedboat service had started in Sandwip.

The deceased was Md Amin Majhi, a resident of Ward No. 7 of Magdhara Union. The humanitarian initiative he had started ended with his own body being brought back on the same boat.

Amin Majhi is survived by two daughters and a son. He had been preparing to return home to arrange the wedding of his elder daughter, but fate took a different course.

Six more Bangladeshi workers under his supervision were killed in the same accident. Most of them left behind modest homes, young children and families struggling financially.

One of them was Mosharraf Hossain Roni, a resident of Ward No. 3 of the municipality. He had gone to Oman two years earlier after taking loans and had hoped his earnings abroad would improve his family’s situation. Instead, the accident ended his life, leaving behind a one-and-a-half-year-old child and a grieving family.

Others who died included Md Roki of Sarikait Union, Md Arju from the same area and Md Jewel of Maitbhanga Union — each representing an unfinished chapter in the story of migrant workers.

Engineer Belayet Hossain, former joint convener of Chattogram North District BNP, said the bodies of seven expatriates arrived by speedboat at Banshbaria Ghat in the morning. A large crowd gathered for the funeral prayers, and two childhood friends, Sahabuddin and Bablu, were laid to rest side by side.

He expressed deep condolences to the bereaved families and urged the government to ensure that at least one member from each affected family receives a government job.

Sandwip Upazila Nirbahi Officer Monchingnu Marma said the bodies arrived in the morning and burial was completed after the funeral prayers. He added that the families would receive all the support they are entitled to from the government.

Today, the speedboat that once symbolised humanitarian service rests quietly on the waters of Sandwip, reminding many that acts of kindness often leave a lasting legacy beyond a lifetime.