On 13th June, Muhammad Arman (10) chased a soccer ball near a drainage ditch along 25th Street following a heavy storm and fell into the drainage. The father Rashidullah Bin Abdul Hashim rushed in to save his son and while they were struggling to survive their friend and neighbour Zakaria Bin Gonumeah jumped in to save them. Sadly all of them were drowned and carried away by the current in the drainage.
Ten-year-old Arman’s body was found the next day. However, the search for his dad and neighbour turned out to be much more challenging. As a result of the strenuous efforts of the Milwaukee Fire Department and their Dive Rescue Team, as well as the efforts of the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the bodies of Arman’s dad and neighbour were recovered on the morning of Thursday, June 16.
Halimah Yassin, niece of the deceased Zakaria said, “I didn’t know that would be his last day. We met on Sunday. We had a graduation party. And that’s it. Then on Monday afternoon, he was gone.”
The families of Rasidullah and Zakaria served beef curry and goat masala to firefighters, police officers and all that visited them.
Photo Credit: Wisconsin Muslim Journal
