29 Bangladeshis Rescued in Mediterranean, 10 Dead

Twenty-nine Bangladeshi migrants have been rescued from a rubber boat that went off course in the Mediterranean Sea while they were attempting to travel from Libya to Greece. They were rescued on August 13 near the coastal area of Marsa Matruh, Egypt, and are currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.

According to the Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo, 10 people on board, including nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese national, died during the journey. The embassy confirmed the information in a letter signed on Sunday, August 16, by Md. Zakir Hossain, First Secretary (Labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo.

The letter said the migrants had embarked on the journey with the assistance of a human trafficking network, hoping to cross the Mediterranean from Libya and reach Greece.

On August 3, a total of 42 people, including 38 Bangladeshis and four Sudanese nationals, left Tobruk, Libya, for Greece on a rubber boat.

The boat was powered by a speedboat engine but had no proper navigation system. The passengers were reportedly told that it would take around 36 hours to cross the Mediterranean and reach Greece.

However, due to the lack of an adequate navigation system, the boat eventually went off course. After running out of fuel, it drifted helplessly in the sea.

After drifting in the Mediterranean for nearly 10 days, the boat reached the coastal area of Marsa Matruh, Egypt, on August 13. Local police rescued the passengers.

Among those rescued, 18 people were found seriously ill and unconscious. They were admitted to Marsa Matruh General Hospital. According to local police authorities, 29 migrants are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.

Embassy officials learned details of the journey after speaking with Abdul Karim, a Bangladeshi national receiving treatment at the hospital.

According to Abdul Karim, nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese national became seriously ill and died while the boat was stranded at sea amid extreme heat, intense sunlight, and severe shortages of food and drinking water.

He said that after spending such a long time at sea, the bodies of those who died began to decompose. At one point, the surviving passengers were forced to release the bodies into the sea.

The Bangladesh Embassy said arrangements would be made to repatriate the Bangladeshi nationals as soon as possible after they recover, subject to Egypt’s existing laws and the completion of formal procedures with the relevant authorities.