Bodies of seven migrants killed in a Saudi sofa factory fire return home, and families' dreams come back in coffins

The bodies of seven Bangladeshis who burned to death in a fire at a sofa factory in Saudi Arabia arrived in the country on Saturday morning. After the bodies reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital and the necessary formalities were completed, they were taken to their respective homes by ambulance in the afternoon. Five of the dead are from Naogaon and two from Natore.

The five dead migrants from Naogaon are Shahin of the Par-Naogaon area of Naogaon municipality, Hasibul Hasan Shuvo of Dubai village in Atrai upazila, Minhaj Pramanik of Madhyaboalia village, Masidul Sardar Sajib of Madhabpur village and Sagar Ali of Sadhannagar village. The two dead migrants from Natore are Mohammad Shamim and Sabbir Hossain.

When Shahin's body reached his Naogaon home on Saturday afternoon, his mother Nargis Begum wailed: "Only three months ago my son went abroad with so much hope, borrowing 570,000 taka from a samity. He had found work after going abroad too. But this devastating fire has finished everything for us. The treasure of my heart has left me behind. On what hope, how will we live? Shahin has two little children — what will those orphans eat, what will become of them? And how will we ever repay this mountain of debt over our heads?"

These migrants had travelled to Saudi Arabia by mortgaging their homesteads and borrowing at high interest to bring solvency to their struggling households. Their relatives had dreams of better days in their eyes. But that dream has now returned in a coffin, and the burden of high-interest debt has settled on their relatives' shoulders.

Minhaj's mother Parul Bibi said: "Holding my son's body to my chest, it felt as if the inside of my chest had also been torn apart forever." Masidul's father Majnu Sardar said: "At this final age of my life, I no longer have the strength to bear such a great grief." Sagar Ali's wife Parvin Khatun said: "We could not repay even a single taka of the loan. With my two children and these empty hands, where do I go and stand now?"

On government assistance, Atrai Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Moniruzzaman said each family has for now been given 35,000 taka for the burial of the dead. After three months, each affected family will be given a government grant of 300,000 taka.

Naogaon Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam said the local administration is active in standing beside the affected families and giving them all-round assistance.

After the bodies of the two Naldanga upazila migrants from Natore, Mohammad Shamim and Sabbir Hossain, were taken to their homes on Saturday, relatives broke down in tears. At around 3 pm that day, Shamim's body was taken to Dighirpar village and Sabbir's to Khajura village in Naldanga upazila. After the janaza, both were buried at Khajura central graveyard.

Naldanga Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Shamim Hossain said the upazila administration will bear all the burial expenses of the deceased. If the two families have any other demands, they will be assisted.