Seven bodies of Bangladeshi workers killed in a fire at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have arrived in Atrai upazila of Naogaon.
The bodies reached Atrai in refrigerated ambulances at around 1:30am Friday after arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Saudi Arabia on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at around 4pm Thursday.
The arrival of the bodies cast a pall of grief over the victims’ families. Relatives and local residents gathered at the Atrai police station compound throughout the night to see the bodies for the last time.
A joint janaza for the seven victims was scheduled to be held at 10am Friday at the Molla Azad Memorial College field in Atrai, organized by the district and upazila administrations. The bodies will be handed over to their respective families after the prayers.
On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the identities of the victims in a notice signed by Counsellor Muhammad Reza-e Rabbi.
According to the notice, 16 Bangladeshi workers were killed in the fire at the sofa manufacturing factory. Saudi authorities identified nine of the deceased through fingerprint tests, and the necessary formalities to repatriate the bodies had been completed.
The seven victims from Naogaon identified in the list provided by the Saudi embassy are Md Farid, son of Moyeen Uddin of Udanpai village; Rubel Pramanik, son of Saidur Rahman of Gondogohali village; brothers Mohon Ali and Sumon Ali, sons of Guffar Pramanik of the same village; Kolimuddin, son of Bazlur Rahman of the same village; Sohel Rana, son of Badal Torofdar of Dubai village; and Abdul Jalil Sardar, son of Tamez Uddin Sardar of Parkasunda village.
Atrai Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Moniruzzaman said the administration has remained in regular contact with the families and sent the necessary documents to Saudi Arabia.
“Through coordination by the administration, ambulances were hired to bring the bodies back at no cost to the families. So far, the bodies of seven identified victims from Atrai have arrived,” he said.
Citing the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the UNO said 13 deaths from Atrai were initially reported following the fire. The identities of 11 victims from Atrai and one from Naogaon Sadar have since been confirmed.
“The process of bringing the remaining bodies back to Bangladesh is ongoing,” he said.