The seven Bangladeshis, who died on the way to Italy from Libya due to hypothermia, have been identified.
A press release from the Bangladesh Mission in Rome confirmed their identities on Sunday.
A two-member team, led by Counsellor (Labour Welfare) Md Arfanul Hoque, reached Lampedusa Island of Italy on January 26, and interviewed other migrants who on the same boat.
The deceased Bangladeshis were identified as Imran Hossain, Ratan/Joy Talukdar, Shafayet, Zahirul, Bappi of Madaripur district, Sazzad of Sunamganj district and Saiful of Kishoreganj district, the release said.
However, no identifications were found with the bodies, which complicated the identification process. Italian authorities also did not provide any confirmation regarding their identities.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted the Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy Shameem Ahsan in a media release that stated, "We are working closely with the Italian side to repatriate human remains to Bangladesh.”
“We have been informed in no uncertain terms that burial not to take place tomorrow in Italy as some reported. We strongly urged Italian side to stop burial by any means and bodies must be sent to Bangladesh and they agreed," the release added.
