The foreign ministry said it was in “deep shock” after reporting that 16 of the country’s citizens died in a factory fire in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
It reported “the tragic deaths of 16 Bangladeshi nationals in a fire at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh” in a statement.
The fire broke out on Sunday at a manufacturing facility in the industrial area of the Al Shifa district in Riyadh, according to the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh.
“There were no injuries reported; all those affected died,” the embassy said in a statement.
Dhaka’s minister for expatriate welfare, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, said that there was “constant communication” with local authorities through the Bangladeshi embassy in Saudi Arabia.
“Officials have been instructed to ensure the speedy repatriation of the bodies of the deceased expatriates and to secure all necessary government assistance and compensation for their families,” he added.
The Bangladeshi embassy in Riyadh later said it remained in contact with the families of the deceased and was “coordinating with Saudi authorities on victim identification and repatriation formalities”.
Around seven million Bangladeshis work overseas, the majority of them in the Middle East. — AFP
