Photo: Collected
A total of 82 Bangladeshi expatriates returned home from war-ravaged Lebanon in a flight of Emirates Airlines on Thursday night.
The flight, ‘EK-584’, carrying the expatriates landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) around 11pm, said a media release sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The repatriation was made with the help of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladesh Embassy in Lebanon’s Beirut and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Among the returnees, 76 expatriates were repatriated at government expenses while six others were funded by the IOM.
The 76 returnees had registered with the Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut while the remaining six were registered with the IOM. As of Thursday, a total of 697 Bangladeshis returned from Lebanon through 11 flights.
The returnees were welcomed at the HSIA upon their arrival.
Mostofa Jamil Khan, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke with the returnees about the experiences of the ongoing conflict and inquired about their well-being.
So far, one Bangladeshi expatriate has been killed in a bombing in Lebanon. The government has taken all-out efforts to repatriate those who want to return home and ensure safety for those who want to stay in Lebanon.
Messenger/JRTarek