The bodies of nine of the 16 Bangladeshis killed in a devastating fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were brought back to Bangladesh on Thursday.
The bodies arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka aboard Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-430 in the afternoon.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam were present at the airport to receive the bodies.
The fire broke out at the sofa factory in Riyadh on August 9, killing 16 Bangladeshi workers. The identities of nine victims were confirmed through fingerprint tests before their bodies were repatriated.
Seven of the victims were from Atrai upazila in Naogaon. They were identified as Md Farid of Udanpoy village; Rubel Pramanik, Kalimuddin Islam, Mohon Ali and his younger brother Sumon Ali of Gondogohali village; Sohel Rana of Dubai village; and Abdul Jalil Sarker of Parkasunda village.
The other two victims were Rabiul Islam of Mahishdanga village in Naldanga, Natore, and Shyamal Uddin of Morugram village in Bagmara, Rajshahi.
According to reports, the workers were sleeping inside the factory after finishing their work when the fire broke out. The factory’s main gate was allegedly locked from outside, preventing them from escaping. All 16 workers were trapped and died in the blaze.
At a press briefing at the airport, Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said fingerprint tests could not be conducted on the remaining seven victims. DNA samples have been collected from their relatives under CID supervision, and efforts are underway to repatriate their bodies as soon as possible.
The government has decided to provide Tk 335,000 to each family of the nine deceased workers. The amount includes Tk 35,000 for transportation and burial expenses and Tk 300,000 as a one-time financial grant.
The Wage Earners’ Welfare Board has also arranged ambulances to transport the bodies directly to their respective village homes.
State Minister Shama Obaed Islam said embassy officials in Saudi Arabia were working tirelessly to bring home the remaining victims.
“Bangladeshi migrant workers leave home, endure difficult working conditions and send money to support their families,” she said, adding that efforts were underway to complete the DNA identification process and repatriate the remaining bodies at the earliest.