Families receive bodies of eight Bangladesh migrants drowned in Mediterranean
Family members accuse people smugglers of murdering their loved ones
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The bodies of eight Bangladeshi migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe from Libya have been handed over to their families.
They received the bodies from police in the presence of Executive Magistrate Sayem Imran at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s morgue on Friday.
As many as 53 migrants, including 35 Bangladeshis, started for Italy from Libya on Feb 14 by a rickety boat with the help of people smugglers for a better life. Eight Bangladeshis and a Pakistani died when the boat capsized off Tunisia’s coast.
The bodies were brought back on Thursday. The dead are Mamun Sheikh, Sajal Boiragi, Nayan Biswas, Rifat Sheikh, Sajeeb Kazi, Imrul Kayes Apon, Md Kaiser and Rasel Sheikh – five from Madaripur and three from Gopalganj.
Sajal’s father Sunil Boiragi started a case against seven people smugglers and 15 unnamed others on Apr 19.
Sub-Inspector Zahangir Alam of Airport Police Station, who is investigating the case, said the bodies were transferred without autopsy as post-mortem examinations were already conducted in Tunisia.
Still, the investigator, a magistrate and a forensic doctor examined the bodies and reports from the Tunisian authorities.
Zahangir said they arrested two suspects and interrogated them in custody. “We’re verifying the information they’ve given. It’s an international ring. Everyone connected to this ring here and abroad will be brought to justice.”
The families at the morgue alleged their loved ones were murdered by the smugglers.
Mehedi Hasan, an uncle of Rasel, said they heard from the survivors that the boat had the capacity to carry 30 people but the smugglers took 52 passengers.
The eight victims and others who were kept in the boat’s hold could not get out when the boat started to sink, he said.
He also said Rasel had worked in Saudi Arabia for five years and saved money for the trip to Europe.
Rasel gave Tk 1.3 million to a smuggler identified with a single name as Sumon, said Mehedi.
“Now the money’s gone and Rasel has lost his life while Sumon is roaming free in Libya.”