DHAKA, Nov 22, 2024 (BSS) - A total of 82 Bangladeshi expatriates returned
home from conflict-stricken Lebanon on Thursday night aboard an Emirates
Airlines flight.
 
The flight, EK-584, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA)
at around 11 pm, a foreign ministry press release said here today.

The repatriation was facilitated through coordinated efforts by the
Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment,
the Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut, and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM).
 
Of the returnees, 76 expatriates were repatriated at the government's
expenses while the return of six others was sponsored by the IOM.

All 76 government-sponsored expatriates had registered with the Bangladesh
Embassy in Beirut while the remaining IOM-facilitated six individuals were
registered with the organization.

As of Thursday, a total of 697 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated
from Lebanon through 11 flights.
 
Upon their arrival at HSIA, the returnees were welcomed by officials
including Mostofa Jamil Khan, a director of the foreign ministry, who engaged
with them to learn about their experiences of the ongoing conflict and to
ensure their well-being.

The Bangladesh government has pledged to continue its efforts to repatriate
those wishing to return home and ensure safety for those who choose to remain
in Lebanon.
 
The crisis has already claimed the life of one Bangladeshi expatriate, who
was killed in a bombing incident.