A young man has recalled the unthinkable grief after losing four family members in a gas leak and how he survived because of a fan next to his bed.
Sadiqul Islam, 25, was in Bangladesh in July 2022 with his parents and two siblings.
His father Rofikul Islam, 48, and his brother Mahiqul, 17, died shortly after they were found unconscious at the flat on July 26.
Just 11 days later he received the devastating news that his sister, Samira, 20, had also not regained consciousness and had died.
His mother Husnara Islam, 45, was receiving treatment for brain complications after the leak but sadly died of delayed carbon monoxide poisoning to the brain three months after the incident in October 2022.
Police in Bangladesh initially opened a murder investigation but subsequently suggested the deaths had been caused by a faulty generator.
Speaking to WalesOnline about when he first returned home to Cardiff, Sadiqul said: "Entering the house I was thinking how I should be with my family but instead I am by myself."
After they were in the country for a week, he says the leak happened. He believes he survived because of a fan blowing the smoke away.
He said: "It was just a chance that I was fine. There was a fan in the room and because I was so ill and so vulnerable they put the fan next to me and the smoke was being pushed around away from me but we are not 100% sure. It was a freak accident.
"I can’t remember much but during that night I went to sleep around 10ish because I was really tired due to my health condition. It was really impacting me at that point. I think my family slept around 11/12 o'clock. And then all I can remember is going to sleep and then waking up the day after four o'clock in the hospital, which was very confusing.
"I asked where my mother and father were and one of the nurses told me that my father and my brother were in a different hospital. The police advised everyone not to tell us anything as it could make the whole situation worse. We were already critical and it could affect us severely. My mum and my sister were in the same hospital, they weren't far away from me, just in a different room."
He said his mum was the first to be told of the tragedy and describes how he felt when he learned of his father and brother die.
He said: "I was really, really upset and angry at that point. As you can imagine your father and brother have gone and you haven’t even been able to attend the funeral, nobody has told you anything, I was really confused."
Sadiqul said that despite being heartbroken by this news he was trying to concentrate on being strong for his mother and sister, as well as battling his physical illnesses.
As soon as their extended family in the UK heard about the tragedy his uncles, aunty and grandmother rushed to Bangladesh to comfort them.
He later described attending his sister's funeral and focusing on getting his mother well enough to return to the UK for further treatment.
He said: "All I wanted to do is bring her back to the UK. But due to the condition she was in, she was really critical."
He returned to the UK and was given the devastating news that his mum died
Sadiqul then faced the reality of returning to his home in Cardiff without his family.
He said: "It’s hard enough losing one person and I have just lost four. Everyone's trying the way to do whatever they can but obviously, it's not like how my family was here supporting me."
Paying tribute to his loved ones he said: "My Family meant the world to me, they were always happy and full of love. My father was an amazing man he’d always put everyone else first before himself. He was a very well-known person in the Taxi community all the drivers knew him.
"As well as the wider community he’d always had a smile on his face and was a very kind, gentle person. The love he and my family had for me was immense.
"This is why After losing my Family it has been very very difficult for me to continue with my journey, but I guess I’m going to have to be strong and continue my family's legacy and make them proud.
"I've been trying to keep busy trying to keep myself occupied just trying to do something. Because like it's just a lot for me like it's affecting me mentally as well as physically."
A memorial bench has now been placed in Victoria Park, Canton, in memory of his family.
