A family of six who had just left a refugee camp before arriving in Surrey, B.C., is mourning the death of Shomima Khan, after she was fatally struck by a cube van while leaving school on Dec. 5.
Khan, 9, was crossing the road with her father, Ayub Khan, around 2:35 p.m. PT in the 13400-block of 81 Avenue near Newton Elementary School when she was hit, according to her family.
While police say the driver remained on scene and is co-operating with investigators, Khan’s death has taken a heavy toll on the family who had only just arrived in Canada on Nov. 6.
The Khans had spent years in a Bangladesh refugee camp, having fled Myanmar after facing genocide as Rohingya Muslims, before they were sponsored by Ayub’s brother Nasir Khan bin Noor Ali.
Ali told CBC News that after Shomima was born in Myanmar in 2016, the large-scale persecution of Rohingya Muslims began in that country. The campaign of violence, which Canada has recognized as genocide, has seen millions flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
“That’s why I give them better life. I sponsored them,” the Surrey resident said.
“We don’t have a citizenship. Our home country, we cannot go back.”
Ajis Khan bin Nasir Khan, Shomima’s cousin, translated for Ayub who spoke to CBC News in the Rohingya language.
“He was just bringing them home from school like any other day,” Ajis said.
“And then boom, this happened, this specific day. He never saw something like this happen anywhere else.”
Shomima has two brothers and a sister, and Ajis described her as a shy girl who always listened.
“You know how kids sometimes, like, rebel when you tell them something? She would always listen,” he recalled.
He said on the day the tragedy occurred, Shomima was excited to wear a new dress she had been given.
“She loved going to school, because here in Canada going to school is actually fun compared to going to school in a different country,” he said.
Ali is calling for justice. He never wants to see something like this happen in a school zone again.
Police previously stated they do not believe impairment played a factor in the fatal crash, and an investigation is ongoing.
Ajis, who has set up a fundraiser to help his uncle and family pay for funeral costs and expenses, said that in Islam, anyone who dies young is guaranteed to go to heaven.
“We all know and hope that she’s in a better place, and we pray for her, and hope that something like this never happens to any other children,” he said.
