Funeral held for Nusrat Jahan, cyclist killed by truck in downtown Ottawa

Mourners gathered Saturday at the Ottawa Mosque to remember the 23-year-old woman killed earlier this week while cycling through Ottawa's downtown — and also call for a thorough investigation into her death.

Nusrat Jahan was only two blocks from her family's apartment when she was struck by a Tomlinson construction truck and pinned under its back wheel at the intersection of Lyon Street and Laurier Avenue West at around 7:45 a.m. Thursday.

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She had been on her way to her accounting class at Willis College when she was killed.

"Our world was turned upside down in one day. We've lost everything," said her older brother Abdullah outside the mosque Saturday afternoon.

"This mosque was her favourite mosque ... in Ramadan, 22 out of 30 days she was here," Abdullah said. "She prayed every day. She was the one who took care of our family. She was the smallest, but she was always the one who took care of everyone."

Jahan came to Ottawa with her family from Bangladesh three years ago, and her father is an administrative accountant for the Bangladesh High Commission.

She had plans to attend graduate school at Carleton University in January and had already completed a bachelor of business administration from a university back home.

'The city should do something'

"There should be some measure [taken] at that site where that accident happened," said Rezaul Mannan, a colleague of Jahan's father at the high commission and one of more than 100 mourners who attended the service.

"The city should do something about it."

Although Laurier Avenue West is lined with segregated bike lanes in both directions, in the wake of Jahan's death many people have shared on social media their concerns and fears about using those lanes.

Ottawa police have launched an investigation into the collision, and are asking any witnesses to come forward.

A Tomlinson spokesperson has said the company is cooperating with the police investigation and is also launching its own into the fatal crash.

'A beautiful soul, a beautiful girl'

Rasheda Nawaz, a friend of the Jahan family, told CBC News that the young woman's death was "heartbreaking" and demanded a thorough, proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding what happened.

"A young life was taken. She was in her lane. She [had] her right-of-way. And the truck driver did not see her," Nawaz said.

"She was a beautiful soul, a beautiful girl," she added. "We want justice."