The death toll of Bangladeshi expatriates in the ongoing Middle East war has risen to six, with dozens more injured in the conflict.
Since the US-Israel conflict with Iran began on 28 February, Bangladeshi nationals in Gulf states have faced growing threats to their lives.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Wednesday confirmed that a Bangladeshi national was killed after shrapnel from a drone interception fell on a farm in the Al Rifaa area of the UAE.
According to the Fujairah Government Media Office, the UAE’s air defence systems intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the emirate, with debris landing on a farm in Al Rifaa. The identity of the Bangladeshi expatriate could not be confirmed immediately.
On 30 March, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told parliament that five Bangladeshis had been killed, and 186 others repatriated from Iran during the ongoing war.
The deceased include Md Tarek, Saleh Ahmed, Hobi Mia, and Mohammad Zayed, while the name of another victim remains unknown.
Tarek, 48, from Azimpur Pahar in Chattogram’s Sandwip upazila, was killed in Bahrain on 2 March. He had worked there for nearly 27 years, supporting his family through regular remittances. He died at a shipyard after being seriously injured in an attack, reportedly by a missile fired from Iran.
Saleh Ahmed, 55, from Baralekha in Sylhet, died on 28 February in Ajman, UAE, after being struck by debris from an aerial attack on a civilian installation. Also known as Ahmad Ali, he is survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
On 17 March, Hobi Mia, 37, from Bakultala village in Munshiganj Sadar upazila, was killed in Iraq. Living there for the past decade, he died in an Iranian missile strike. He leaves behind two daughters, Alisha (14) and Habiba (10).
In early March, migrant worker Mohammad Zayed, a resident of Ward 9 under Sandwip Municipality in Chattogram, died in Kuwait amid escalating military tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
