Bodies of 7 Bangladeshi fire victims arriving today

The bodies are expected to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:05 AM on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment confirmed the information on Friday (October 30), citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.

On August 9, a devastating fire broke out at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh, killing 16 Bangladeshi workers. Of them, the bodies of nine victims were brought back to Bangladesh in the first phase on August 27.

The identities of the remaining seven victims could not be immediately established as their bodies were severely burned.

Their identities were later confirmed through DNA testing.

According to the Bangladesh Embassy, all flights from Riyadh had been temporarily suspended since October 10. As a result, the bodies were first transported by road to Jeddah. From there, they are being sent to Dhaka on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight via King Abdulaziz International Airport.

The deceased have been identified as Md Shahin of Naogaon Sadar, Md Hasibul Hasan Shuvo, Minhaz Pramanik, Md Masidul Sardar Sajib and Md Sagar Ali of Atrai in Naogaon, and Mohammad Shamim and Md Sabbir Hossain of Naldanga in Natore district.

-MT