Nearly three months after being killed in a devastating fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the bodies of seven expatriates, including five from Naogaon, have arrived in the country. On Saturday afternoon, the bodies reached the victims' village homes, creating a somber atmosphere. After a long legal process and DNA testing, the bodies were brought home on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, and burials were completed following funeral prayers.
On August 9, a massive fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh killed 16 Bangladeshi workers, 12 of whom were from Naogaon district. The five identified through DNA tests are Shahin from Par-Naogaon area, Hasibul Hasan Shuvo from Dubai village of Atrai, Minhaj Pramanik from Madhya Boyalia, Masidul Sardar Sojib from Madhabpur, and Sagar Ali from Sadhnagar. Additionally, the bodies of two expatriates from Natore's Naldanga upazila arrived on the same flight.
Almost all the victims were the sole breadwinners of their families. Having gone abroad by taking high-interest loans and mortgaging homesteads, these workers returned in coffins, leaving their relatives burdened with heavy debts. Atrai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Moniruzzaman stated that Tk 35,000 has been provided to each family for burial costs, and another Tk 3 lakh will be given as a grant after three months. Naogaon Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam stated that the bodies were delivered to their homes free of cost under complete government management.
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Bodies of 5 Naogaon fire victims returning from Saudi Arabia on Saturday
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