The foreign ministry of Bangladesh has sent an official to Tunisia from the embassy in Libya as many Bangladeshis are feared dead in the Mediterranean Sea boat capsize.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said they do not have “exact information” about the shipwrecks as there is no embassy in Tunisia.
“But we heard that there were 51 Bangladeshis in the boat and 14 were rescued. We fear maybe 30 to 35 Bangladeshis have died,” he told reporters on Sunday, citing media reports.
“Our ambassador in Libya has sent an official from the embassy,” he said, adding that the ambassador also does not have exact information.
According to bdnews24.com, a senior official said that the embassy official will be able to reach the scene by Monday.
At least 65 migrants, majority of them being Bangladeshi, died when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast en route to Europe from Libya on Friday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.
The state-run Tunis Afrique Presse agency reported a death toll of at least 70 people, making it one of the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe this year, according to Reuters.
“It’s very regrettable (the loss of lives),” Foreign Minister Momen said as Bangladeshis have been advised not to travel to war-torn Libya.
“I still don’t know why they take this risky voyage,” he said, adding that the Bangladesh ambassador in Libya, Sk Sekander Ali, conveyed to him whatever information they had gathered through international media.
He said they are also in touch with the Red Cross which is coordinating the rescue operations in Tunisia.
