Death in the Mediterranean: One more victim’s body arrives

The body of one more Bangladeshi migrant, who was among the seven to have died from hypothermia while crossing the Mediterranean Sea to enter Italy illegally, arrived home today.

So far, three of the seven victims' bodies have been handed over to their families.

The body of the deceased, Kamrul Haan Bappy (21) of Shariatpur's Naria upazila, arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka this afternoon, said Fakhrul Alam, assistant director at the Expatriates' Welfare Desk at the airport.

Kamrul's father Abul Bashar, who received the body at the airport, said initially he was reluctant to send his son abroad in this illegal and dangerous manner.

He alleged that a local trafficker had "brainwashed" Kamrul for going abroad although he was already earning well at home by running a grocery store.

"It's an irreplaceable loss for me," said the father.

Kamrul started his journey from Bangladesh on November 11 last year for Dubai on a visit visa, and from there he later entered Libya, where traffickers from Bangladesh and Libya kept him hostage for about two months before the boat journey, Abul Bashar said.

He also said he had to pay Tk 7.30 lakh in total to the traffickers in Bangladesh and Libya.

Md Sharif, Kamrul's brother-in-law, said they learnt about Kamrul's death from a fellow migrant from Sylhet over the phone on January 28.

Later, the local administration and Bangladesh embassy in Italy confirmed the matter to the family, he also said.

After hearing about the tragic incident, Kamrul's maternal grandfather suffered a stroke and passed away, while his mother has been bed-ridden, Sharif added.

Earlier, in the last two days, bodies of Joy Talukder and Imran Hawlader, two migrants from Madaripur who also died in the same incident, arrived home.

There were 273 Bangladeshis and 14 Egyptians onboard the boat. All of them were trying to enter Europe illegally through Italy by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Due to extreme cold, seven Bangladeshi youths died from hypothermia, while the rest were rescued by Italian coastguards some 18 miles off the coast of Lampione, an uninhabited island near Lampedusa, on January 25, Reuters reported.