Family heartbroken after brothers with coronavirus died within hours of each other
A family has been left heartbroken after two brothers with coronavirus died within hours of each other.
Ghulam Abbas, 59, and Raza Ghulam, 54, were being treated in the same intensive care unit at Newport's Royal Gwent hospital.
They both died on April 21st - just three weeks after their father had passed away from an unrelated health condition.
The family was well-known in the Pill area of Newport after running a newsagent's there for many years.
Raza Ghulam leaves behind his wife and two sons. Ghulam Abbas leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
Rukhsar Abbas, one of the daughters of Ghulam Abbas, said: “I didn’t realise how much of a well-known family we had, and how much of an impact my father and his brother had on the community - until now.
“We’ve had so many messages of support from members of the community and further afield, and even MPs have contacted us to send their condolences.
“It shows the kind of men they were. We’re all so proud of them and are totally heartbroken.”
Ghulam Abbas was admitted to the Royal Gwent hospital on April 7th after testing positive for Covid-19.
Younger brother Raza had been in a coma since March 27th with the virus.
The funeral for both brothers took place on April 22nd, when their coffins travelled through the city and past their homes.
Ms Abbas added that her father was “the backbone of our family.”
She said: “I had to grieve for my father through a window. It’s a horrible feeling that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
“But to have had hundreds of people praying for our family – some that didn’t even know us – has been unbelievable. I can’t thank everyone enough."
Mubarak Ali, brother-in-law to Ghulam and Raza Ghulam and secretary of Islamic Mosque Society for Wales, said: “It’s totally surreal to think that two brothers have passed away by each other's sides.
“I’ve never seen so many tributes in my life. You only realise the impact people have sometimes once they are gone.”
The brothers' father, Ghulam Mohammed, had five children and was grandfather to 20. He also founded the Islamic Mosque Society for Wales.