Staff Reporter :
The body of expatriate Bangladeshi Mohammad Nijam Uddin, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, cannot be returned due to unavailability of flight.
Because of the ongoing war situation in Lebanon, flights are unavailable, making it impossible to bring his body back to Bangladesh, according to the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
The Bangladeshi embassy in Lebanon has reported that an expatriate Bangladeshi has been killed in Israeli airstrikes in war-torn Lebanon.
The deceased, Nijam Uddin (31), was the son of Mohammad Abdul Quddus from Khadera village in the Kasba upazila of Brahmanbaria district.
He was working at a coffee shop in Beirut.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon, when Nijam was on his way to work in the Hazmieh area of Beirut.
A senior official from the Foreign Ministry informed the media that the deceased’s wife is currently in Lebanon, and the Bangladeshi embassy there is in contact with her.
The chairman of the Khadera UnionParishad, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, confirmed that Mohammad Nijam went to Lebanon 12 years ago in search of livelihood.
His elder brother confirmed to him that he was killed by a bomb explosion while on his way to work. His body is currently stored in a morgue there.
In response to Nijam Uddin’s death, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Lebanon, Air Vice Marshal Javed Tanveer Khan, expressed deep condolences, praying for the peace of the departed soul and extending sympathy to the grieving family.
The Israeli attack on different parts of Lebanon has destabilized the situation there.
Citizens of different countries are moving for safe places there. Even many are leaving the country as the situation is volatile.
According to Foreign Ministry, some 1800 Bangladeshi expatriates in Lebanon have expressed their desire to return home through registration process.
So far some 268 have returned home by different flights. Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain earlier said that it was difficult to get flight tickets all together.
They are trying to bring them in small numbers based on the availability of tickets.
Even the Foreign Adviser said if necessary steps would be taken to bring back Bangladeshi citizens through ships to a safer place near Turkey and then they would be brought back by air.
The government is bearing the total cost of the return of each Bangladeshi from there. On their return, the interim government with the assistance of International Organization for Migration is providing them a financial support of Tk 5000 each.
There are an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Bangladeshi citizens in different parts of Lebanon.