The 35 people killed in a bus crash in Saudi Arabia may include some Bangladeshis, the Bangladesh mission in the Gulf kingdom fears.
The bodies were so charred after the bus caught fire that it became difficult to identify them, Consul General of Bangladesh in Jeddah FM Borhan Uddin told bdnews24.com on Friday night.
“We initially suspect that there may be seven of our people among the dead. But we can’t say anything with certainty before DNA tests are done,” he said.
The double-decker bus of Dar Al-Meqat Umrah agency based in Riyadh carried 50 people to Madinah.
It caught fire after hitting a heavy vehicle used for road repair while returning to Makkah from Madinah with 39 on board on Wednesday.
Saudi media said the victims were foreign nationals of Asian and Arabian origins.
They include 11 Pakistanis, 13 Indians, 11 Bangladeshis, and five Yemenis, Bangladeshi journalist Sheikh Likat Ahmed, who is based in Saudi Arabia, told bdnews24.com quoting the Umrah agency’s owner.
Officials at the consulate said they had been told that 13 Bangladeshis were among the passengers when the journey started and some of them got off on the way.
Consul General Borhan said: “We are maintaining communication with the Saudi authorities to identify the victims through DNA tests. We will let you know their identities after confirmation.”
In a separate road traffic accident in Saudi Arabia, two Bangladeshi brothers from Narayanganj’s Rupganj have died.
The deceased are Abdul Halim, 30, and Dwin Islam, 26, sons of Habibullah Mia of Kolatoli village, according to the consulate in Jeddah.
The road mishap occurred at Al Henakiyah, some 110 kilometres from Madinah, on Wednesday evening local time, the consulate said in a statement.
The two brothers, who had worked at a firm in Riyadh for a long time, were travelling to the Saudi capital from Madinah. The consulate added it will provide legal aid to bring their bodies back to Bangladesh.
