Seven Saudi fire victims laid to rest in Naogaon's Atrai upazila

The funeral for seven residents of Naogaon who were killed in a fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was held on Friday, August 28, at around 10:15am at the Mollah Azad Memorial College ground in Atrai upazila.

The funeral was attended by Sheikh Mohammad Rezaul Islam Rezu, Member of Parliament for Naogaon-6 (Atrai-Raninagar) constituency; Naogaon Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam; Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Monirul Islam; Atrai Upazila Executive Officer Md Moniruzzaman; Atrai Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mahbub Alam; along with other administration officials and locals.

After the funeral, the bodies were handed over to the families of the deceased, who then took them to their respective villages.

The bodies of nine of the victims identified in the Saudi fire arrived in the country on Thursday, August 27, around 4pm at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Seven of them were from Atrai upazila in Naogaon. The bodies reached Atrai upazila around 1:30am with the assistance of the administration.

MP Sheikh Mohammad Rezaul Islam Rezu said the families of the deceased would receive support from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board, and the government would continue to assist them in the future. The process of bringing the remaining bodies back to the country is ongoing.

According to the list sent by the Saudi embassy, the seven identified from Naogaon are: Md Farid (Udanpa village), Rubel Pramanik (Gandgohali village), Mohan Ali (Gandgohali village), Suman Ali (Gandgohali village), Kolimuddin (Gandgohali village), Sohel Rana (Dubai village), and Abdul Jalil Sardar (Parkasunda village).

On August 9, a fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh killed 16 Bangladeshis, 13 of whom were from Naogaon.