The bodies of five more Bangladeshi workers killed in a fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have reached their homes in Naogaon.
The bodies arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight around 8:30am on Saturday. They were later transported to their respective villages in refrigerated vehicles, reaching home by 4:30pm.
The arrival of the bodies plunged their families into mourning, with relatives and local residents gathering around the ambulances to pay their last respects.
A total of 16 Bangladeshi workers were killed in the fire at the sofa factory in Riyadh on August 9. Of them, 12 were from Naogaon.
The bodies of nine victims were brought back to Bangladesh on August 27. The identities of the remaining seven were later confirmed through DNA tests, and their bodies arrived in the country on Saturday. Five of them were from Naogaon.
Four of the five victims were from Atrai upazila, while the other was from Naogaon Sadar.
The five victims were identified as Shahin, son of Majnu Rahman of Par Naogaon; Hasibul Hasan Shuvo, son of Nazmul Huda of Dubai village in Atrai; Minhaz Pramanik, son of Akkas Pramanik of Madhyaboalia village; Masidul Sardar Sajib, son of Majnu Sardar of Madhabpur village; and Sagar Ali, son of Azhar Ali of Sadhannagar village.
In a notice issued on Thursday, the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh said DNA tests had confirmed the identities of the remaining seven victims and that arrangements had been completed to repatriate their bodies.
Naogaon Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam said the bodies had been transported to the families without any cost.
He added that the district administration would provide all necessary assistance to the bereaved families.
