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Nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese died after a Greece-bound boat carrying 42 migrants drifted in the Mediterranean for around 11 days without adequate food and water, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment confirmed on Monday.
Citing a report from the Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo, the ministry said 38 Bangladeshis and four Sudanese had left Libya for Greece on August 3. The rubber boat had no proper navigation system and later ran out of fuel, leaving the passengers adrift in the Mediterranean. It eventually reached the Egyptian coast on the evening of August 13.
According to the embassy report, 29 Bangladeshis were rescued after the boat reached the Marsa Matruh coast. Of them, 18 who were seriously ill or injured were admitted to Marsa Matruh General Hospital. The embassy is monitoring their condition and working to provide necessary consular assistance.
According to survivor Abdul Karim’s account cited in the report, nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese died from intense heat and a lack of food and water during the ordeal. Their bodies were later thrown into the sea after they began decomposing, the report said.
The deaths come as Bangladesh tops the list of countries whose nationals are reaching Greece by sea from Libya, according to Frontex data cited by Brac.
Between January and June this year, at least 3,608 Bangladeshis made the journey. Sudan and Afghanistan were the next two countries on the list.
