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Relatives of victims, who died in a boat capsize near the coast of Tunisia, wail holding coffins as bodies of eight Bangladesh nationals arrive at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday. | — Md Saurav

The bodies of eight Bangladesh nationals who died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe and subsequently drowned near the coast of Tunisia arrived in the country on Thursday noon.

A flight carrying the carcasses landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 12:30pm.


On February 14, a boat, carrying 52 passengers and a sailor from the coast of Zuwarah on its way to Europe, sank off the Tunisian coast, leaving nine people dead.

Forty-four people were rescued alive after the boat capsized.

Among the 44 survivors, 27 are Bangladeshis, eight from Pakistan, five from Syria, three from Egypt and the boatman.

Among the nine fatalities, eight were identified as Bangladeshis and one as a Pakistani national.

The deceased were Sajal Boiragi, Noyon Biswas, Mamun Sheikh, Sajib Kazi, Rifat Sheikh, Imrul Kayes, Md Kaiser, Apon and Russel Sheikh from Madaripur and Gopalganj.

Meanwhile, a case was filed with the Airport police station.

Police arrested two people in this connection.