Body of migrant worker returns from Baghdad

The body of a Bangladeshi migrant worker killed in a missile strike in Baghdad arrived in Dhaka early Friday as the government formally received the remains at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The body of Mohammad Shrabon, who had lived and worked in the Iraqi capital for a decade, was brought home on a Turkish Airlines flight, which landed at 5:15am local time, according to a foreign ministry press release.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam formally received the body on behalf of the government and handed over Tk 35,000 in funeral assistance to the bereaved family.

The state minister conveyed condolences to the family and expressed sorrow over the untimely death of Mohammad Shrabon.

Shrabon was the son of Mohammad Noli Mia and a resident of Bakultala village in Munshiganj Sadar upazila of Munshiganj district. He had migrated to Baghdad 10 years ago in search of work and was killed when a missile struck the city during recent hostilities.

The body was repatriated under the supervision of the Bangladesh Embassy in Baghdad. It left Baghdad on May 27 on a Turkish Airlines flight before a 29-hour transit in Turkey ahead of the final journey to Dhaka.

The repatriation process was formally confirmed on May 25 by Parvez Alam Chowdhury.

Bangladesh hosts one of the world’s largest migrant workforces, with millions of citizens employed abroad. Remittances sent by overseas workers remain a major source of foreign exchange for the country.