A routine family visit to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate turned into an unimaginable tragedy when four-year-old Zaahir Jan lost his life in a sudden accident, leaving his loved ones and the community reeling with grief.
On Thursday, August 7, 2025, just after 4 p.m., Zaahir had been leaving the hospital with his family after visiting his grandmother. According to police, the young boy was on foot when he was struck by a white single-decker bus near the entrance to the hospital’s A&E department on Ramsgate Road.
Witnesses say the moment was chaotic — a flash of movement, the screech of brakes, and then the devastating realization that a child had been hit. Emergency responders rushed to his aid, carrying him back inside the hospital just steps away. Despite their efforts, Zaahir was pronounced dead a short time later.
Police have confirmed that his next of kin were immediately informed. In a statement, a spokesperson for Kent Police said:
“Kent Police was called to Ramsgate Road shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday 7 August 2025 following a report of an incident involving a bus and a pedestrian outside Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital.”
Zaahir was the youngest of five siblings, known among family and friends for his boundless energy, mischievous charm, and a smile that could light up any room. The loss comes at a time when the family was already navigating deep grief — just six days earlier, his cousin’s mother had died. In a heartbreaking post, a cousin described the pain of losing both a parent and a young cousin within a week as “unbearable.”
His mother, Azaria, shared her heartbreak in a GoFundMe appeal created to help with burial expenses. She described her little boy as “our sweet funny boy with a cheeky smile that could make anyone’s heart full.”
“The smile that we can’t see again. Can’t hold him. Can’t cuddle him. Can’t hear him. Can’t have him sleeping in my bed tonight. But I can try to give him the best and most comfortable burial. My baby, I wish you were in my bed tonight cuddling. I love you, my boy.”
The GoFundMe campaign, which links to another fundraising effort for his cousin’s mother, asks for public support to help cover the costs of two funerals in such a short, devastating span of time.
Tributes for Zaahir continue to pour in across social media — messages of sorrow, love, and prayers from friends, neighbors, and strangers moved by the family’s loss. Many share photos of the little boy grinning widely, a reminder of the joy he brought to those around him in his short life.
Kent Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or has dashcam or CCTV footage from the area to come forward, as the investigation into what happened continues.
For now, the streets outside QEQM Hospital carry a heavier silence, and for Zaahir’s family, the world has grown quieter without the sound of his laughter.
If you’d like, I can expand this further with emotional witness details, hospital staff reflections, and a fuller picture of the community’s response so it reads more like a long-form human-interest tribute. That would make it even more moving and complete.
