Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) has confirmed the identity of 27 Bangladeshis, who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, the bodies of five of them were retrieved till now.
Fifteen of the 27 were from Sylhet alone, while the rest were from Noakhali, Dhaka, Shariatpur, Moulvibazar, Madaripur, Kishoreganj, and Sunamganj, according to a BDRCS press release issued on Monday.
They are — Nasir from Noakhali; Kamran from Dhaka; Jalal Uddin and Al Amin from Kishoreganj; Mahbub, Nadim and Mahbub from Sunamganj; Sajib from Madaripur; Parvej and Kamrun Ahmed Maruf from Shariatpur; Shamim and Fahad from Moulvibazar; Zillur Rahman, Rafiq, Ripon, Limon Ahmed, Abdul Aziz, Ahmed, Zillur, Ayat, Amajol, Qasim Ahmed, Khokon, Rubel, Monir, Belal, and Maruf from Sylhet.
According to Shishir, who survived the boat capsize and talked to BDRCS, six other Bangladeshi survivors are: Rajib, Uttam, Parvej, Roni, Suman, and Jumman — all of them are from Naria upazila of Shariatpur.
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Earlier, international media reports said, at least 70 people had died when the boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Tunisian coast, en route to Europe from Libya, on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, on Sunday confirmed that 37 of the deceased migrants were Bangladeshis, who were travelling to Europe in search of a better life.
Also, 14 out of 16 rescued were Bangladeshis, one Egyptian and one Moroccan, according to BDRCS.
Families in Sylhet also identified six of the 37 deceased as, Ahsan Habib Shamim and Kamran Ahmed Maruf of Moulvibazar, Abdul Aziz, Ahmed Hossain, and Liton of Fenchuganj, and Afzal Mahmud of Gopalganj.
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Three survivors from the district were identified as Bilal Ahmed of Fenchuganj — also the uncle of Aziz, Hossain, and Liton; Shahed Ahmed Khan of Biyanibazar; and Masum Ahmed of Gopalganj.
The other migrant, who was missing till Monday, is Ayaj Uddin of Fenchuganj.
Earlier on Monday, Imam Zafar Sikder, director of the BDRCS’ department of restoring family links, told Dhaka Tribune that they identified the deceased after speaking with four of the survivors, who are currently under the care of Tunisian Red Crescent.
He said, four of the Bangladeshi survivors were being treated at a Tunisian hospital. A team, from Bangladesh embassy in Libya, visited them around 7pm Bangladesh time, on Monday.
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According to Imam, the bodies of five Bangladeshis were recovered and taken to a local Navy camp in Tunisia.
In addition, the BDRCS has opened two hotlines — 88-02-49354246 and 01811458521 — for providing information about the survivors, and the deceased.
The first number will remain open from 9am to 3:30pm, while the second one will be open round the clock.
Relatives of the victims will also be able to contact BDRCS headquarter at Moghbazar, in Dhaka, and its district offices, for updates about their loved ones.
