Twenty bodies, believed to be of Bangladeshis killed after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean near Brega of Libya last week, have been buried in the north African country.

Bangladesh foreign ministry in a message to the media last night said no identification document was found on them and that the Red Crescent, which handled the burials, believes the victims were Bangladeshis.

It said the bodies were buried in Ajdabiya, which is about 40km away from Brega on Friday, as they were decomposing.

The incident occurred in an area under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Libyan Government, based in Benghazi. The Bangladesh embassy has yet to obtain the necessary clearance to visit the site, according to the ministry message.

Meanwhile, Shariful Hasan, associate director (Migration and Youth Platform) of BRAC, in a social media post last night said most of the deceased were from Madaripur and Shariatpur, and some from Bhairab.

He said this based on information from the Bangladesh embassy in Libya and the victims' families.

"According to my information, at least three more bodies may have washed up. There were at least 25 people in the group. I think two are alive, but I don't know where they are. It is unclear how the accident happened," he wrote.

He said Bangladesh ranked first among countries whose nationals attempted to cross the Mediterranean in 2024. In the past year alone, 13,044 Bangladeshis were identified as taking this route.

The Bangladesh embassy has not been able to confirm the number of Bangladeshis killed in last week's boat capsize.

"We have heard that several Bangladeshis may have died in the boat capsize, but we have no confirmation yet," an official of the embassy told The Daily Star last night.

The official said once a clearance is obtained, a team from the embassy would travel to the area to gather information, identify the deceased, and facilitate repatriation of the bodies if those are of Bangladeshis.

On January 30, the Bangladesh embassy in Libya on its Facebook page said several bodies of migrants had been recovered over the past two days from the shores of Brega. It said the bodies washed ashore after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean.

The embassy urged anyone with information about Bangladeshis who may have died, been injured, or affected by the incident to come forward. Concerned individuals can contact the embassy via its Facebook page or official mobile numbers: +218916994202 and +218916994207.