The family of a nine-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a van in Surrey last week came to Canada in search of a better life only one month prior to the tragedy, according to an online fundraiser. A Gofundme titled “Support for funeral costs and family of 9-year-old Shomima” has gone up with the goal of covering the grieving parents’ expenses during a difficult time. “This loss has left them devastated, and they are trying to cope while adjusting to a new country,” writes organizer Ajis Nasir, who identified himself as Shomima’s cousin. He said the family arrived in Surrey a month ago from Bangladesh in hope of rebuilding their lives after enduring “years of hardship” as Rohingya Muslims, a persecuted minority in Myanmar. The girl was hit by a cube van on 81 Avenue near 134 Street, just outside Newton Elementary, last Friday afternoon. She was taken to hospital with critical injuries and later died. The driver is co-operating with the investigation, which is ongoing, according to the Surrey Police Service.
