The seven Bangladeshis, who died from hypothermia in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Italy, have been identified.
They are Imran Hossain, Joy Talukder Ratan, Safayet, Jahirul and Bappi from Madaripur, Sazzad from Sunamganj, and Saiful from Kishoreganj, according to the Bangladesh embassy in Rome.
They died on their way from Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa on January 25. Altogether 287 had tried to enter Italy illegally on a boat, of whom 273 were Bangladeshis, according to the Bangladesh mission.
It took some time to confirm their identities as they did not have any kind of proof of identification on them, the embassy said in a statement.
The identities were confirmed on information gleaned from others on board with them, it said.
“The embassy will now contact their families to confirm their identities in order to send the bodies to Bangladesh at the government’s expense,” reads the statement.
Hundreds of people have made the often-deadly journey this year, despite winter weather that once deterred migrants from attempting the crossing, and numbers are expected to rise further.
Despite freezing temperatures and rough seas, over 1,750 people have arrived in Italy so far this month, compared to 379 in the same period last year.
Hypothermia occurs when the human body loses more heat than it can generate and drops below 35°C.