Sixteen Bangladeshi workers killed in Riyadh factory fire

Sixteen Bangladeshi workers lost their lives in a fire at a sofa factory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry. The identities of the deceased are currently being determined, and their bodies will be repatriated to Bangladesh as per the families' preferences, the ministry announced on Monday. The fire occurred at the factory located in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area on Sunday, the statement added.

Bangladesh's embassy in Riyadh dispatched a delegation to the site immediately upon learning of the incident. Once the process of identifying the bodies of the 16 Bangladeshi citizens who perished in the tragic fire at the sofa factory in Riyadh yesterday is finalized, the necessary arrangements will be made to bring their remains back to Bangladesh with the consent of their families, the foreign ministry declared.

With around 3.5 million Bangladeshis residing in Saudi Arabia, the nation stands as the primary destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, who contributed over $2.7 billion in remittances to their home country last year.