At least 98 Bangladeshis have died from the deadly coronavirus infection outside the country, including 64 in the US.
According to immigrants, their family members, and media reports, 64 Bangladeshis in the US (mostly residents of New York), 19 in the UK, six in Saudi Arabia, three in Italy, two in Qatar, one each in Spain, Sweden, Libya and Gambia, have died from Covid-19.
Most of the Bangladeshis who died abroad due to the virus, had dual citizenship.
Of the multiple deceased worldwide, Md Sirajul Islam, former MP of Moulvibazar 1 constituency and Moulvibazar’s Barlekha upazila’s former Awami League president, died due to coronavirus in New York yesterday.
Earlier on Saturday, Kamal Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Society, INC, in the US, also died undergoing treatment for coronavirus in a New York hospital.
Two other Bangladeshis, Ikbal Haque Bhuiyan and Shipon Ahmed, brothers, died of Covid-19 one week apart in different hospitals of the US, confirmed their family members to Dhaka Tribune.
More than 200 Bangladeshis have been infected by coronavirus worldwide, of whom more than 100 are from the US, 40 from Italy, 23 from Spain, 14 from Singapore, 20 from Canada, and 20 are from France. Some of them have already been treated and are now free of the virus.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported the deaths of only 10 Bangladeshisglobally--- six in Saudi Arabia, including one from MERS-CoV, two in Italy and two in Qatar -- caused by the coronavirus.
Contacted, Khalilur Rahman, additional foreign secretary and chief of the corona related cell formed by the Foreign Ministry, said: "Most those who have died due to coronavirus outside the country have dual citizenship. As such, the authorities concerned of the respective countries didn’t notify us about these deaths.
"However, we are keeping close contact with Bangladeshi citizens who are working, studying in different countries worldwide, during this pandemic. Governments of those respective countries are cooperating with us to ensure that our citizens are receiving the necessary treatment and other facilities."