Riyadh: At least 16 Bangladeshi nationals were killed in a devastating fire at a sofa factory in the Musa Sanaiya area of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The ministry expressed deep grief over the deaths and conveyed condolences to the victims’ families, according to The Times of India.
The blaze broke out on Sunday at the furniture factory, where Bangladeshi migrant workers were employed. The deaths have triggered urgent efforts by Bangladeshi authorities to establish the identities of the victims and complete the formalities needed to repatriate their bodies.
Bangladesh’s Embassy in Riyadh is coordinating with Saudi authorities over the incident and working to provide assistance to the affected families. Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has instructed officials to bring the victims’ bodies home as soon as possible and ensure government assistance and compensation reach the bereaved families, NDTV reported.
Saudi Arabia is the largest overseas destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, with around 3.5 million Bangladeshis living in the country. They sent more than $2.7 billion in remittances to Bangladesh last year, underscoring the enormous dependence of Bangladeshi families on employment in the Gulf kingdom.
Authorities have yet to publicly establish the cause of the fire or release detailed findings on the factory’s safety arrangements. An investigation and further official information are awaited as the repatriation process gets underway.