The bodies of seven Bangladeshi workers killed in a fire at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:30am on Saturday.
A total of 16 Bangladeshi workers died in the tragic fire on August 9. The bodies of nine workers were previously brought back to Bangladesh in the first phase on August 27.
The remaining seven workers could not be identified initially as their bodies had been severely burned in the blaze. Their identities were subsequently confirmed through DNA testing.
According to embassy sources, all direct flights from Riyadh had been temporarily suspended since October 10. As a result, the remains were transported by road from Riyadh to Jeddah.
They were then flown to Dhaka on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight departing from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.
The seven deceased workers identified through DNA tests include Md Shahin of Sadar upazila in Naogaon; Md Hasibul Hasan Shuvo, Minhaj Pramanik, Md Masidul Sardar Sajib, and Md Sagar Ali of Atrai upazila in Naogaon; and Mohammad Shamim and Md Sabbir Hossain of Naldanga upazila in Natore.
Why it matters
The repatriation concludes the long identification process for victims of a major overseas workplace tragedy affecting Bangladeshi nationals.