2024-05-02 20:10:55
The bodies of 8 Bangladeshi citizens who died in a boat sinking off the coast of Tunisia while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe will reach the country today on Thursday (May 2) at noon.
According to the Facebook post of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the coffins are scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on May 2 at 12:30 PM by Saudia Airlines flight.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the mission officials handed over the bodies to the Tunis International Airport Authority on Tuesday in the presence of Major General (retd.) Abul Hasnat Muhammad Khairul Bashar, Bangladesh’s ambassador on non-resident charge to Libya and Tunisia.
In the late night of February 14, officials of the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli worked closely with the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local city authorities to complete the body’s condition, identification, confirmation of identity through local agencies, issue of death and medical certificates.
Besides, the Africa Wing of the Ministry of External Affairs coordinated the inter-ministerial repatriation of the bodies. The necessary expenditure is being met from the assistance of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Law and the allocation of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment.
Among the 8 deceased, Sajal, Nayan Biswas, Mamun Sheikh, Kazi Sajib and Qaiser Khalifa were residents of Madaripur district and Rifat, Russell and Imrul Kayes of Apon Gopalganj district.
When the boat with 52 passengers and a driver on the journey from Juara coast to Europe sank off the Tunisian coast, 27 Bangladeshis and 8 Pakistanis, 5 Syrians and 4 Egyptians were rescued out of 44 alive. Among the 9 dead people, 8 were identified as Bangladeshis and the other was a Pakistani citizen.