The boat that set sail from the Libyan coast for Italy on 25 January carried 56 people. At least 10 of the dead came from Rajoir Upazila where residents recognised the photos of their lifeless bodies. The victims left home because of poverty and unemployment, taking out loans worth thousands of dollars to pay traffickers.
The authorities pledge to arrest the intermediaries. Madaripur AsiaNews β Bangladeshi nationals are among the migrants who died recently trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, hoping to reach Europe. Out of 56 people on the same boat, 23 bodies were recovered from the Libyan coast, presumed to be from Bangladesh.
At least 10 of the victims, who left for Italy in the hope of a better future, came from Rajoir, plunging the Upazila Subdistrict , Madaripur District, into deep mourning. The families of these young people are under shock.
Relatives now demand the authorities take action against those responsible and bring back the bodies. Titu Howlader, son of Hasan Matbar, from the village of Paschim Swaramangal, was among those who undertook the dangerous journey, local sources report. He tragically lost his life when the boat - which had left the African continent on 25 January - capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. His mother, Kulsum Begum, was inconsolable when she saw the picture of her son's body on her mobile phone, fainting repeatedly from the pain.
Many Bangladeshis are taking the risky journey to Europe because of poverty, unemployment and the false promises of traffickers. Social pressure, climate change and political instability are also driving people to seek a better future abroad where many face exploitation, abuse, and deadly risks en route.
