Bodies of five workers killed in Saudi Arabia to return home after two and a half months
Photo: Five Bangladeshi workers killed in a fire in Saudi Arabia
Relatives are counting the days to see the lifeless faces of their loved ones for the last time. The bodies of five Bangladeshi workers killed in a fire in Saudi Arabia will be brought back to Bangladesh on Saturday. Their bodies are returning home after a long wait of two and a half months. They had been kept in a cold storage facility in Saudi Arabia due to delays in confirming their identities.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Naogaon, confirmed the matter to journalists, citing a statement issued by the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
On August 9, a devastating fire broke out at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh, killing 16 Bangladeshi workers. Among them, 12 were from Naogaon. The bodies of seven workers were brought back to Bangladesh on August 27. However, the bodies of the remaining five were kept in a cold storage facility in Saudi Arabia due to complications in identifying them.
According to the embassy’s statement, the identities of the five workers have been confirmed through DNA tests. Their bodies are scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:05 am on Saturday aboard Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-336. The bodies will subsequently be handed over to their families.
The five deceased workers have been identified as Shahin of Par Naogaon in Naogaon town; Hasibul Hasan Shuvo of Dubai village in Atrai upazila; Minhaz Pramanik of Madhya Boalia village; Masidul Sardar Sajib of Madhabpur village; and Sagor Ali of Sadhannagar village.
Sagor Ali’s death has left his family facing financial uncertainty. Just six months ago, his wife Parveen Khatun borrowed Tk 650,000 to send her husband to Saudi Arabia. The family’s only asset, their homestead, was also mortgaged to a moneylender. Unable to repay the loan, the family is now facing pressure from creditors.
Atrai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Moniruzzaman said the bodies had been brought back to Bangladesh as quickly as possible following the completion of legal procedures and DNA tests, through coordination between the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
He added that the process of providing government financial assistance to the affected families through the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board was also underway.
