Four Bangladeshi expatriates were killed in a road accident in Saudi Arabia while travelling to Jeddah airport to return home. All four are believed to have links to Sylhet, although the identities of two of the victims have yet to be formally confirmed.
The accident occurred at around 2pm local time on Monday, 7 September, in the Al-Khurma area while the group was travelling from Taif towards Jeddah. They were reportedly on their way to the airport to catch flights to Bangladesh and had already made arrangements for their return.
Among the four victims, the identities of two have been confirmed as Abdul Karim and Khalid Ahmed. Both were from Lamar Taluk village in the Gachhbari area of South Banigram Union, under Kanaighat upazila in Sylhet.
Lokman Uddin, chairman of the local union parishad, confirmed their identities and deaths.
According to local sources, Abdul Karim and Khalid Ahmed had been living and working in Saudi Arabia for a long period. They had recently decided to return to Bangladesh and had made preparations for the journey. With their luggage packed and their air tickets arranged, they set out for Jeddah airport, apparently looking forward to reuniting with their families after spending years abroad.
Their journey, however, ended before they could reach the airport. The vehicle carrying them was involved in the crash in Al-Khurma, killing all four passengers along with the driver, according to information available from local sources.
The identities of the other two Bangladeshi victims have not yet been officially established. Local sources believe one may have been from Moulvibazar and the other from Sunamganj. That assumption is based on information that two people from those districts had been living in Saudi Arabia with the deceased. Their identities will need to be formally confirmed before they can be conclusively identified.
Details about the exact circumstances of the crash were not immediately available. It was also unclear what caused the vehicle to collide or whether any other vehicles were involved.
The deaths have brought renewed grief to the families of Bangladeshi expatriates, particularly in Sylhet, where overseas employment is an important source of income for many households. For migrant workers, returning home after years abroad is often a long-awaited moment, making the circumstances of this tragedy especially painful for the victims’ relatives.
For Abdul Karim and Khalid Ahmed, the journey to Jeddah was supposed to mark the final stage of their return to Bangladesh. Instead, the trip became a fatal journey just hours before they were expected to begin their flight home.
Their relatives and members of the local community are now awaiting further information regarding the two unidentified victims and arrangements for the repatriation of the bodies. The authorities concerned are expected to coordinate the necessary procedures so that the deceased can eventually be brought back to Bangladesh and handed over to their families.
