Grief gripped Faridpur as the body of Bangladeshi woman Dipali Begum, killed in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, returned home on Friday, a month after her death.
Dipali, a resident of remote Shalepur village under Charbhadrasan upazila in Faridpur, was brought to her village home at around 7:30am.
Her funeral prayer (namaz-e-janaza) was held at 10:00am, after which she was buried.
As the coffin arrived, wails of mourning from family members and relatives filled the village.
Earlier, the body arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11:20pm on Thursday. Her father Sheikh Mofazzel, elder brother Sheikh Obaidullah and younger sister Laiju Akhter received the body on behalf of the family.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam handed over the body to the family at the airport.
According to the family, Dipali sustained critical injuries in an Israeli airstrike on a building in Beirut on 8 April. She later died while undergoing treatment at a hospital there.
Charbhadrasan Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shuraiya Mamtaz said the body was taken from the airport to the village by ambulance under government arrangements after completing formalities.
She said the family reached home on Friday morning.
As the body reached the village, a large number of relatives and locals gathered to pay their last respects.
Family members broke down in tears after receiving Dipali’s body following a month-long wait.
Speaking to journalists at the airport, Shama Obaed expressed condolences and said the government would continue necessary support for the bereaved family.
Dipali’s younger sister Laiju Akhter said, “After such a long wait, being able to see my sister one last time is our only comfort now.”
Assistant Director of Faridpur Expatriates’ Welfare Centre Md Ashik Siddique said the family received Tk 35,000 at the airport for burial expenses. He added that another Tk300,000 will be provided later under government rules.
