Lebanon drone strike victims return home to Satkhira amid family financial ruin
The remains of two Bangladeshi expatriate workers, killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon last month, were returned to their families in Satkhira on Sunday morning. The bodies of 45-year-old Shafiqul Islam and 21-year-old Nahidul Islam arrived at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport late Saturday night before being transported by ambulance to their respective homes in the Satkhira Sadar and Ashashuni upazilas.
The two men, who had traveled to Lebanon at the beginning of this year's Ramadan in hopes of securing a better future for their families, were killed on May 11. According to reports, they were working at an orchard and were traveling in a vehicle transporting bread in the Jebdine area of the Nabatieh district when the drone strike occurred, killing them instantly.
Their return has cast a shadow of profound grief over their villages, where families are now grappling with both personal loss and the crushing weight of debt. To fund their migration, both men had borrowed heavily, selling livestock and securing loans from NGOs and relatives.
At the home of Shafiqul Islam in Bhaluka-Chandpur village, his wife, Ruma Khatun, expressed deep despair over the family's future. With the primary breadwinner gone and substantial debts remaining, she faces the daunting task of raising two daughters alone. Shafiqul’s father, Afsar Ali, echoed this sentiment, lamenting that the dream of financial stability had ended in tragedy and mounting financial burdens.
Similar scenes of mourning unfolded in Kadakati village at the home of Nahidul Islam. Local community leaders, including Union Parishad chairmen Mizanur Rahman and Dipankar Sarkar, have described both families as being in extremely vulnerable conditions. They have urged the government and wealthy benefactors to provide urgent humanitarian and financial assistance to help the families survive the crisis.
Sadar Upazila Executive Officer Arnab Dutta confirmed that the remains were handed over to the families following arrival. The government has provided a grant of 35,000 taka to each family to assist with transportation and burial costs.
