Flooded Road Forces Family to Carry Mother’s Body

A heartbreaking scene from northern Bangladesh has drawn widespread public attention after a family was forced to carry an elderly woman’s body through chest-deep floodwater to reach her burial site. The incident, captured on video and widely shared, has renewed concerns over the long-standing lack of essential infrastructure in remote rural communities.

The incident took place in Faldangi village, located in the border region of Haripur Upazila in Thakurgaon District, where continuous heavy rainfall submerged local roads and left residents struggling to move between villages. The distressing journey highlighted the daily hardships faced by people living in areas with inadequate transport links, particularly during the monsoon season.

The deceased, 80-year-old Mofijan Bibi, mother of Nurul and Mofiz Uddin, passed away early on Thursday due to age-related illness. Later that afternoon, relatives and villagers set out to take her body to the Rajiun Rahman Hafezia Madrasa grounds in Bakuya Union, where funeral prayers were scheduled before her burial.

Their journey quickly turned into an ordeal. With no bridge on the 2.5-kilometre Faldangi–Nona connecting road, mourners had no option but to wade through chest-high floodwater while carrying the body on their shoulders. Although an alternative route exists, it would have required travelling an additional six kilometres, making it an especially difficult option for a funeral procession.

Images of the funeral party struggling through the floodwater have deeply moved people across the country and reignited debate over the condition of rural infrastructure in flood-prone regions. Local residents say this is not an isolated incident but a hardship they have endured since Bangladesh gained independence.

According to villagers, every rainy season brings the same suffering. Families often worry not only about travelling for work, education or medical emergencies, but also about whether they will be able to bury their loved ones with dignity when a death occurs. Residents allege that election candidates have repeatedly promised to construct a bridge and improve the road, yet little has changed once elections are over.

Only a few days before the incident, villagers had reportedly pooled their own money and labour to repair part of the road in an effort to improve access. However, just two days of persistent rainfall were enough to wash away much of their work, leaving the route submerged once again.

The community is now urging the authorities to construct a permanent bridge on the Faldangi–Nona road and undertake lasting improvements to the surrounding road network. They argue that such infrastructure would not only ease everyday travel but also ensure that families are never again forced to carry the bodies of loved ones through floodwater during funeral processions.

Responding to the incident, Haripur Upazila Executive Officer Chandan Kar said he had seen the video showing the body being carried through the flooded road and described the situation as deeply unfortunate. He acknowledged that the road urgently requires a bridge and said the administration would take the necessary steps to address the matter as quickly as possible.

The incident serves as a stark reminder that inadequate rural infrastructure continues to affect the lives of thousands of people, particularly during Bangladesh’s monsoon season, when heavy rainfall frequently isolates villages and exposes longstanding development gaps.