EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally stated the crash was a hit and run when in fact it was not. The story has been updated. We regret the error.
Two days after a fatal crash in Calgary’s northeast, family and friends gathered at the Akram Jomaa mosque to remember the victims.
Thirty-one-year-old Uzma Afzal and her mother, 65-year-old Bilquees Begum, were killed when their car was hit Saturday morning.
At Monday’s funeral, close family friend Tuzeen Shakir said she still can’t believe the two are gone.
Shakir said those who knew the family are still grappling with their sudden deaths.
“It’s so painful to think about them not being with us anymore.”
Calgary police said Saturday that alcohol and speed were most likely factors in the crash.
Aziz Shirkh, who has known the family for 16 years, said the delay in finding a suspect is weighing heavily on the family.
“We were kind of disappointed that there was no conclusion,” Shirkh said. “We haven’t seen any final conclusion to what happened.”
Asif Ashfaq, the husband of Uzma, suffered minor injuries, while Uzma’s father Mohammad Afzal was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition — but friends say his condition has improved.
While friends said it’s been difficult for family in Calgary, it’s also been a struggle for their relatives in Pakistan.
One son who was living in Saudi Arabia has made the trip back home, but friends say a daughter who is in Pakistan will not be able to travel.
Shakir has been phoning her daily and says she’s having a hard time coming to grips with the loss of her sister and mother.
Both mother and daughter were laid to rest in Cochrane, Alta.