Fire at factory in Saudi capital kills16 Bangladeshi migrant workers

A fire at a factory in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, has killed 16 Bangladeshi migrant workers.

The fire broke out at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh on Sunday, officials in the Bangladeshi Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment in Dhaka said, citing the fire service department in the Saudi capital.

Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, expressed his shock and sorrow over the deaths of the Bangladeshi migrant workers.

“Such untimely and tragic deaths of expatriates working in distant Saudi Arabia in search of livelihood are very heartbreaking. Their contribution to the country’s economy is immense,” Chowdhury said in a statement.

He said the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia is maintaining round-the-clock contact with officials at the site of the fire and the local authorities.

The officials have been instructed to expedite the repatriation of the deceased expats’ remains and ensure all necessary government assistance and compensation for their families.

The deceased expat workers hailed from the Naogaon, Natore and Rajshahi districts of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is closely monitoring the situation and providing all the necessary assistance to expedite and facilitate the matter.

It added that the Bangladesh Embassy staff in Riyadh was working closely with Saudi authorities to complete the necessary formalities for the repatriation of the remains of the deceased.

Saudi Arabia has remained the number one destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers.

An estimated 3.5 million Bangladeshi migrant workers live temporarily in Saudi Arabia, annually sending home more than $2.7 billion in remittances.

The majority of Bangladeshi migrant workers are hired as unskilled laborers for low-paying jobs. High-paying administrative jobs are solely reserved for Saudi nationals.

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