Natore, Aug 29 (V7N) — The body of Rabiul Islam, one of three Bangladeshi migrant workers from Naldanga upazila in Natore who were killed in a fire at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been returned to his village home.
The body arrived at Mahishdanga village in Naldanga around midnight on Thursday in a refrigerated ambulance. As it reached the family home, relatives, family members and local residents were overcome with grief and tears.
Rabiul’s funeral prayer was held at 10:00am on Friday at a school field in Mahishdanga. He was subsequently laid to rest at the family graveyard.
Naldanga Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) in additional charge Md Shamim Hossain attended the funeral prayer.
Former organising secretary of Naldanga Upazila BNP Shafiqul Islam Bulbul, Khajura Union Parishad Chairman Sohrab Hossain, Khajura Union BNP leader Abdur Rahim, former Khajura Union Parishad chairman Zahurul Islam Bhutru and hundreds of local Muslims also attended the funeral.
Rabiul Islam Hridoy had travelled to Saudi Arabia five years ago in the hope of improving his family’s financial condition. He borrowed Tk 5 lakh to travel to the country.
According to his family, although he had a visa and passport, he did not have an iqama or other valid legal documents after travelling through a broker. As a result, he was forced to work in hiding for nearly three years.
Rabiul was one of three workers from Naldanga who died in the factory fire. He was the only victim from the upazila whose body could be repatriated to his village.
The bodies of the other two victims — Shamim Hossain, 35, son of Zakir Ali of Dighir Par village in Khajura Union, and Sabbir Hossain Shuvo, son of Golam Rabbani of Sripur Para — could not yet be repatriated as their identities have not been confirmed, said Md Shamim Hossain, UNO of Naldanga upazila in additional charge and Assistant Commissioner (Land).
A devastating fire broke out at a sofa manufacturing factory in the Musa Sanaia industrial area of Riyadh on August 9, killing 16 Bangladeshi workers.
Of the 16 Bangladeshi workers killed in the fire, the bodies of nine whose identities have been confirmed have so far been repatriated to Bangladesh. Rabiul Islam, son of Ashraful Islam of Mahishdanga village in Naldanga, Natore, was among them.
The other two victims from Naldanga were Shamim Hossain, 35, son of Zakir Ali of Dighir Par village in Khajura Union, and Sabbir Hossain Shuvo, son of Golam Rabbani of Sripur Para.
Rabiul’s body arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon aboard Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-340. From the airport, it was transported to his village home in an ambulance operated by the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board.
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