Two Youths from Habiganj Die in Saudi Arabia and Libya

Grief has cast a shadow over Habiganj as news arrives that two young migrant workers from the district have died — one in Saudi Arabia and another in Libya, according to a report by the daily Inqilab.

The report says both deceased youths were from families in Habiganj district, one working in Saudi Arabia and the other in Libya.

However, the exact causes of their deaths, their workplaces, and further identifying details have not yet been published in the media.

The families concerned are awaiting information about the formalities for bringing the bodies home and completing the necessary procedures.

Both Saudi Arabia and Libya are significant destinations for Bangladeshi workers, and many families from the Sylhet region — including Habiganj — have children working there for their livelihood.

In recent years there have been several reports of Bangladeshi worker deaths in Saudi Arabia and Libya — sometimes in road accidents, sometimes in the hands of human traffickers. In recent months, reports of young men from Habiganj going missing in Libya after falling into mafia traps have also surfaced.

But in these two latest deaths, the exact nature of the incidents has not yet been made clear, according to those familiar with the matter.

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and the Bangladesh embassies normally assist families in such cases with repatriating the body, recovering unpaid wages, and compensation matters.

The families are hoping the relevant embassies will extend the necessary assistance in these two cases as well.

More detailed reports are expected in the media once fuller information becomes available.