Families devastated after the tragic loss of Begum and Matare

Two families are shattered today after a tragic road accident on the Labasa/Nabouwalu Highway near Nabavatu yesterday took the lives of 16-year-old Sainaz Begum and Karalaini Matare.

Sainaz was a National Under-16 soccer trialist while Matare was the coach of the Dreketi women’s soccer team.

They were going for their training when the accident occurred.

Matare’s eldest daughter, Priscilla Ovaova says her only wish is for her mother to live till her wedding day. Ovaova says her mother had big plans for her wedding in December this year.

[Karalaini and her daughter Priscilla]

Matare’s husband, Isoa Toloi says he said goodbye to his wife and left for the farm yesterday morning.

Toloi says her last words were “see you in the afternoon”.

Meanwhile, 16 year old Sainaz Begum’s aunt, Mubashra Begum who raised Sainaz says her niece had an ambition to become a soccer player and an air hostess.

She says Sainaz was passionate about football.

She says all her three children are in shock and cannot believe that Sainaz will never return home.

Police say the two were walking along the road when a man from Namaka, Nadi allegedly failed to negotiate a bend and lost control of his truck which was loaded with logs.

As a result, the truck tumbled and the logs fell and hit the girl and the woman who were walking on the side of the road.