Hundreds of people have turned out to mourn a 20-year-old woman who died after a suspected poisoning in Bangladesh. Samira Islam is the third member of her family to have died after the incident, along with her brother Mahiqul, 16, and father Rafiqul, 51.
Officials say the Cardiff woman died at around 8.30am on Friday, August 5, after she and her family were found unconscious last month following an incident at a flat in the region of Sylhet in the north east of Bangladesh. Police have confirmed the family, from the Riverside area of Cardiff, came to Bangladesh on July 12 and that they moved into the flat where they were found on July 18.
Police say they are now working on the theory their deaths may have been caused by carbon monoxide. Ms Islam's mother Hosne Ara Islam, 40, and brother Sadikul Islam, 21, were both also found unconscious but have survived and have been released from hospital.
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On Saturday, local journalist Md Fajlu Miah told WalesOnline that Samira has been laid to rest next to her father in a village in Bangladesh. They added that she was buried in the family's graveyard after a post-mortem was completed on Saturday. Samira's mother and brother were at the funeral, surrounded by those who had come to support the family.
Cardiff councillor Saleh Ahmed, who attended the funeral, said: "From my side, Cardiff Council, and all the residents in Cardiff really sympathise with the family." He continued to say he was sorry to hear of Samira's passing and requested the authorities resolve the investigation "quickly" and "fairly" so the family may have peace.
District superintendent Uddin previously told WalesOnline it was believed the incident is a case of poisoning but that an investigation is ongoing. He said: "After discussing the overall situation with the doctors and inspecting the scene we believe this may have been a case of poisoning. The investigation is ongoing into whether it is poisoning or something else."
The family were on a two-month visit to Bangladesh when they were found unconscious by a relative. The relative said that when there was no answer to the family's door the police were called and broke the door to recover five unconscious people inside. Earlier this week it was reported that family members had told police a faulty emergency electricity generator in the property they were staying at had been used on the night of the tragedy due to a power cut. Supt Farid Uddin said officers had visited the property, adding the generator pumped out smoke as it was running, which could have led to suffocation.
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