Hundreds of mourners gathered in Blackburn today to bid a final farewell to taxi driver Masrob Ali, who was killed alongside three teenagers in a devastating head-on collision in Bolton.
Community Unites in Grief
An estimated 600 people travelled from across the UK, including London, Manchester, Bolton and Birmingham, to attend the funeral prayers for the 54-year-old father-of-four. Due to the overwhelming number of attendees, the service was held at the larger Masjid-e-Sajedeen Islamic Centre on Plane Tree Road, rather than at Masrob's local mosque.
Friends and family were seen carrying a black coffin into the mosque, while others embraced and wept outside. Masrob's body was covered in a traditional Muslim shroud. His wife and children were present and later walked the short distance back to the family home following the service. A private burial was scheduled for later at Pleasington Cemetery.
A Tragic Collision and Heartfelt Tributes
Masrob Ali died in the early hours of Sunday morning when his Citroen C4 Picasso was struck head-on by a Seat Leon on Wigan Road in Bolton. He was pronounced dead at the scene, along with three teenagers in the other car: 18-year-old Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar (also known as Jibril), 19-year-old Muhammad Danyaal Asghar Ali, and 18-year-old Farhan Patel.
His eldest daughter, Humayra, paid an emotional tribute, describing her father as 'the gentlest soul' and a devoted parent who had emigrated from Bangladesh aged 12. 'Nobody has a bad word to say against him, he was so kind and the best dad,' she said. She also praised police for their compassion, revealing they arranged for the mortuary to be opened at the weekend so the family could say goodbye.
Investigation Focuses on Speed and Road Safety
The tragedy has cast a stark light on the circumstances leading to the crash. Police are examining video footage believed to show the Seat Leon being driven at 122mph through a built-up area at around 3am on Saturday – less than 24 hours before the fatal collision.
Miraj, the 21-year-old brother of Jibril, shared screenshots of their final WhatsApp exchange on TikTok, in which he warned the teenager about his driving. The message read: '180 mph one mistake tyre blows or car comes in front. Dead & in pieces. Be smarter.' A family friend revealed Jibril had been involved in another accident in Bolton just a month prior.
Meanwhile, residents living near Wigan Road said they have been calling for safety measures for years, claiming serious collisions happen 'every couple of months'. They referenced a crash outside a primary school just before Christmas, close to Sunday's tragedy.
Five passengers from both vehicles remain in hospital. A 29-year-old woman in the Citroen suffered potentially life-threatening injuries, while two others were seriously hurt. An 18-year-old passenger in the Seat sustained minor injuries.
Detective Inspector Andrew Page of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit urged witnesses to come forward and cautioned against sharing footage on social media, noting it could constitute a criminal offence and cause further distress to the grieving families.
