Mediterranean boat capsize: Bodies of Bangladeshi victims set to arrive in Dhaka

The bodies of eight Bangladeshis who died when a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe are set to arrive in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.

A flight of Saudia Airlines carrying the coffins is scheduled to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:15pm, said a Facebook post from the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya.

Major General (retd) Abul Hasnat Mohammad Khairul Bashar, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Libya handed over the bodies at Tunisia International Airport authorities on Tuesday. 

Following the tragic incident on the night of February 14, officials at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli worked closely with Tunisia's Foreign Ministry and local authorities to manage the forensic identification, confirmation of identities through domestic agencies, issuance of death and medical certificates, and coordination of the repatriation process.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Africa Wing coordinated inter-ministerial efforts to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies, with assistance from the ministries of home, law, and funds from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Among the deceased are Sajal, Noyon Biswas, Mamun Sheikh, Kazi Sajib, and Kaiser Khalifa from Madaripur district, and Rifat, Russel, and Imrul Kayes from Gopalganj district.

A boat, carrying 52 passengers and a sailor from the coast of Zuwarah on its way to Europe, sank off the Tunisian coast. 

Out of the 44 survivors, 27 were Bangladeshis, with others from Pakistan (8), Syria (5), and Egypt (4). 

Among the nine fatalities, eight were identified as Bangladeshis and one as a Pakistani national.