Bangladesh Says 16 Bangladeshi Workers Killed in Riyadh Sofa Factory Fire

Bangladesh said 16 Bangladeshi nationals died in a fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, with the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry notifying Dhaka that the blaze broke out on Sunday and killed 16 people on the spot.

“the fire broke out at a sofa factory in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, killing 16 people on the spot”

chinadailyhk

The Daily Star reported the fire broke out at a sofa factory in the Musa Industrial Area under the Al-Shifa police station in Riyadh around 2:00pm yesterday, killing 16 people on the spot, and said the local fire service was still carrying out rescue operations when the notification was issued around 1:30am today (Bangladesh time).

A News

The New Arab said the fire tore through a sofa factory in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area of the Saudi capital, and it reported that the cause of the fire had not been made public.

In Dhaka, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said embassy officials in Riyadh were working in close coordination with relevant Saudi authorities to identify the deceased and complete necessary formalities concerning the bodies, while the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury directed officials to expedite repatriation and ensure financial and other government support for families.

The Daily Star listed the 16 victims by district and name, saying 13 were from Naogaon—Farid, Shuvo, Md Rubel Pramanik, Suman, Md Kaliyuddin, Md Mohon, Md Sumon, Minhaj, Hridoy, Shaheen, Abdul Jalil, Majidul and Shagor—two were from Natore—Shamim and Sabbir—and one was from Rajshahi—Shyamol.

The Daily Star also quoted Rezae Rabbie, counsellor (labour) of the Labour Welfare Wing at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, in describing the embassy’s close contact with Saudi authorities to identify the victims.

Anadolu Ajansı

Euronews said Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury told Dhaka there was "constant communication" with local authorities through the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Euronews added that Chowdhury said, "Officials have been instructed to ensure the speedy repatriation of the bodies of the deceased expatriates" and to secure government assistance and compensation for their families.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry said it was in "deep shock" after confirming that 16 citizens died in the fire, and it reported that the victims' bodies were being identified and would be returned home in accordance with their families' wishes.

“"necessary arrangements will be made to bring the bodies back home with the consent of their families"”

The National

The National said the fire occurred at the factory in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area on Sunday, and it quoted the foreign ministry saying that once identification was complete, "necessary arrangements will be made to bring the bodies back home with the consent of their families."

The New Arab reported that the cause of the fire had not been made public and that it was not immediately clear whether other workers were injured or what safety measures were in place, while Nadyeen Abdulaziz of ALQST said, "The absence of transparency and free journalism makes it extremely difficult to establish what happened".

IndexBox and other outlets tied the response to the scale of Bangladesh’s overseas workforce, saying around seven million Bangladeshis work overseas and that the majority are in the Middle East, while Saudi media estimates put over three million Bangladeshis living in the kingdom.