Updated 18.08 | Published 17.50
Welder Bashir, 25, was newly married, full of hope for the future and had just submitted his application for Swedish citizenship.
But all dreams ended seconds after he stepped into the construction elevator that Monday in December.
– I thought “that can’t be true, he can’t be one of them”, says his close relative Elisabet Rundqvist.
On December 11, a construction elevator fell 20 meters into the ground at a construction site in Sundbyberg in Stockholm.
There were five people in the elevator. All died.
One of them was Bashir, 25, from Afghanistan.
– We have known for several days that he is dead, but it is still nice that the police have finished their work. It feels terrible that he had to end his life in this way, at the same time they say that it was an instantaneous death so that he did not have to suffer, says Elisabet Rundqvist.
When Bashir came to Sweden as an unaccompanied refugee in 2015, Elisabet Rundqvist became like an extra mother to him. And they have been very close to each other.
– He has regarded me as his mother in Sweden and I have regarded him as an extra son. Our relationship has been very warm.
Elisabet Rundqvist describes Bashir as responsible, young and full of hopes and dreams. She tells us that he supported his family at home in Afghanistan and as recently as last summer married the love of his life – a woman from his home village with whom he kept in touch, but left for a future in Sweden.
Bashir was granted permanent residency in 2015, and his goal was to obtain Swedish citizenship – something he recently applied for – in the hope of being able to live his life here with his wife.
“He can’t be one of them”
Even though he came to Sweden without his family, he was never alone, says Elisabet.
– He was always surrounded by loved ones, and very concerned about others. He always pitched in and if someone was missing something, he did everything to fix it.
Thanks to his experiences as a welder in his home country and through completion with validation in Sweden, Bashir quickly got a job in the construction sector in Sweden.
Over the past years, Elisabet Rundqvist, together with Linus Ericsson, has helped Bashir with authority contacts, finding accommodation and writing a CV.
– We made sure that he understood that it was important to get everything in place before starting work, and explained how working life in Sweden worked, says Linus Ericsson.
– At the same time, we have also hung out and been able to follow him and his development during the years we have known him.
Linus Ericsson describes Bashir as incredibly professional, fast and skilled.
– But he was also very keen to help his family, to whom he was very loyal. He was also very concerned about his friends and peers and had a great pathos of justice.
The memories from Monday a little over a week ago are still palpable.
Linus Ericsson tells us that he began to feel uneasy on Monday evening when he read an article about the accident. He then sent a text message to Bashir.
– But I didn’t get an answer, but thought it was late at night. But the next day I checked again to see if it had progressed, but it hadn’t. I then tried to call but didn’t get through. Then I understood that something was wrong.
Elisabet Rundqvist tells how she received a text message from Linus Ericsson, with a link to an article about the accident at the construction site in Sundbyberg.
– I thought “that can’t be true, he can’t be one of them”. I got terribly worried and checked all his channels, but he hadn’t posted anything. His friends started to get in touch and then we realized that he hadn’t spoken to his wife either.
They reported Bashir missing to the police and were called a moment later with the news that he was feared to be one of the dead in the accident.
– They could not give any confirmation but asked for things that they could do DNA tests on, says Linus Ericsson, who today received a definitive message that one of the bodies found at the construction site belongs to Bashir.
– It is very difficult to understand that it has happened. It’s terrible.
The last time they saw each other, Bashir wanted help with his application for Swedish citizenship. Linus Ericsson will never forget the last words he said.
– I will work my whole life, so it is important that I do not injure myself at work.
Concerns about the building
Through friends of Bashir, Linus Ericsson and Elisabet Rundqvist have been in contact with his family in Afghanistan. His mother, little brother and new wife.
– They are very keen to know what is happening now. How the funeral will be, that it will be dignified. It is very natural for them to have those thoughts.
For the friends in Sweden, a lot of logistics remains.
– For example, we will get home what was in his locker at work. It will probably be a different feeling. A heavy one, says Linus Ericsson.
According to Linus Ericsson and Elisabet Rundqvist, Bashir was worried about the work situation on the construction site in Sundbyberg. He told friends about how he had injured himself several times.
– I got the impression that it was stressful and pressured. And he was worried about some of his colleagues and their work situation, says Linus Ericsson.