Hasibul, a resident of Dubai village in Atrai upazila of Naogaon, was the eldest son of his family. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he worked for a local NGO. He later lost his job and remained unemployed for some time before moving to Saudi Arabia three years ago in search of better opportunities and to support his family financially.
He worked at a sofa manufacturing factory in Saudi Arabia, where the workers also lived on the factory premises.
On the day of the incident, Hasibul was sleeping in the workers’ accommodation inside the factory while taking a daytime rest. Suddenly, a fire broke out at the factory, claiming his life.
Eight other workers were burned to death in the blaze, while another eight died from suffocation after inhaling smoke. All 17 victims were workers at the same factory.
Of the 17 workers, 16 were inside the accommodation when the fire broke out and died. Only one worker survived as he was outside the room at the time.
The information was confirmed by the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to officials at the Bangladesh Embassy, the fire broke out at around 2pm at a Bangladeshi-run sofa factory in the Musa Sanaya industrial area under the Shifa police station in Riyadh.
The fire is believed to have originated from an electrical short circuit. Firefighters rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control before recovering the victims’ bodies from inside the factory.
Eight of the victims were burned beyond recognition, while the other eight reportedly died from suffocation after inhaling smoke. Embassy officials suspect the workers were unable to escape because the factory gate was locked.
Workers at other factories in the same industrial area said 17 people were employed at the factory, with 16 of them killed in the fire. The workers also lived inside the factory premises.
As the factory operated at night, the workers were reportedly resting inside the facility when the fire broke out in the afternoon.
Habibur Rahman the only survivor
Habibur Rahman, a Bangladeshi worker employed at the same factory, was the only person to survive the devastating fire.
Habibur told embassy officials that he left the factory at around 1:30pm on Sunday to get a haircut. When he returned, he found the factory engulfed in flames.
He said 17 Bangladeshi workers were employed at the factory. Sixteen of them were killed in the fire, while he survived because he happened to be outside when the blaze broke out.
DNA tests may be needed to identify bodies
Sixteen workers at the factory were killed in the fire, eight of them after being directly engulfed by the flames. Authorities are struggling to identify the victims’ bodies.
Mohammad Rezae Rabbi, Counsellor (Labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy, said the victims’ passports and iqamas were destroyed in the fire. Efforts are underway in coordination with the district administrations in Bangladesh and the Saudi authorities to establish their identities.
An investigating officer at the relevant police station in Saudi Arabia said fingerprints would be collected initially to identify the victims. If the fingerprints fail to establish their identities, DNA testing may be required.
Once the victims are identified, the Saudi authorities will issue death certificates. The bodies will then be repatriated to Bangladesh.
Thirteen of the 16 Bangladeshis killed in a devastating fire at a sofa-manufacturing factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were from Naogaon, while two were from Natore and one from Rajshahi, according to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
The fire broke out at the factory in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area under the Shifa police station in Riyadh.
The identified victims from Naogaon are Farid of Ujanpoi village in Atrai upazila; Shuvo and Suman of Dubai village; Md Rubel Pramanik, Md Kalim Uddin, Md Mohon and Md Suman of Gondogohali village; Minhaj; Hridoy of Boala village; Shahin of Naogaon village; Abdul Jalil and Majidul of Kharsrota village; and Sagar of Sadnagar village.
Thirteen of 16 Bangladeshis killed in Riyadh factory fire were from Naogaon
Rubel Pramanik’s father is Md Saidur Rahman, while Kalim Uddin’s father was the late Bazlur Pramanik. Mohon and Suman were both sons of Guffar Pramanik, and Majidul’s father is Majnu. The name of Minhaj’s village has not yet been confirmed.
The other victims were Shamim of Dighirpar village and Sabbir of Khajura village in Naldanga upazila of Natore, and Shyamal of Morugram-Dangapara village in Bagmara upazila of Rajshahi.
