RIYADH: A fire at a sofa factory in the Saudi capital Riyadh has killed 16 Bangladeshis, the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
According to the Bangladeshi embassy, the fire broke out at a manufacturing unit in the industrial area of Shifa district in Riyadh. The embassy said that no one was injured in the accident, while all those affected by the fire died.
Bangladeshi Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare Ariful Haq Chaudhry said that the Bangladeshi embassy in Saudi Arabia is in constant contact with local authorities. Ten of the victims were from the northern district of Nowgaon, while the rest were from the northern and western districts of Natore and Rajshahi.
He said that the authorities have been directed to make arrangements for the early repatriation of the bodies of the deceased migrants and ensure that the government provides necessary assistance and compensation to their families.
The Bangladeshi embassy in Riyadh later said that it was in constant contact with the families of the deceased and was coordinating with the Saudi authorities to identify the victims and repatriate the bodies.
On the other hand, the Civil Defense Agency of the Saudi capital said that a fire had broken out in an unlicensed center where furniture upholstery was done. According to the Civil Defense, the fire was brought under control, but details about the casualties were not provided.
The agency said that the necessary legal and administrative action had been completed regarding the said location after the incident.
According to Bangladeshi authorities, about 7 million Bangladeshis work abroad worldwide, the majority of whom live in Middle Eastern countries. It is estimated that there are over 3 million Bangladeshi nationals living in Saudi Arabia.
Like the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on foreign workers from the subcontinent to meet its workforce needs, especially in manual labor-related sectors.
Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia serve in a variety of sectors, from administrative duties to cleaning, to working in hotels and restaurants.
