OUR CORRESPONDENT, Sylhet

Five Bangladeshis from Sylhet’s Kanaighat upazila were killed in a road accident in Qatar yesterday morning as the pickup van carrying them to work crashed.

News of the deaths reached their relatives in Bangladesh around 12:00pm (local time).

Mehedi Hasan Shakil, upazila nirbahi officer of Kanaighat, confirmed the deaths, citing the local union chairman.

The deceased were identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, 30, and Jubayer Ahmed, 30, of Majtaluk village in Jhingabari union; Jasim Uddin, 30, of Agtaluk village; Jibal Ahmed, 36, of Amarpur village; and Kadir Ahmed, 24, of Gachbari Nayagram in Dakhin Banigram union.

The UNO said, “The local union parishad chairman has been sent to the families of the deceased. Once he speaks with the families and gives us the details, we will do whatever is needed on our part to bring back the bodies.”

Meanwhile, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury expressed grief over the deaths.

“The sudden and tragic death of our remittance warriors, who contribute to the country’s economy, is deeply painful. I pray for the salvation of the departed souls and express deep sympathy for the bereaved families,” the minister said in a condolence message.

He said, “Steps were being taken through the Bangladesh embassy in Qatar to repatriate the bodies quickly and provide necessary assistance to the affected families.”