28 March 2024

COVID-19: BD expats death tally raises eighth times in a week

Collected
File photo - Courtesy to FE

Death tally in novel coronavirus among the Bangladeshi expatriates has been increased around ninth times in last one week, with rapid booming of the pandemic in Saudi Arabia, reports the Financial Express.

According to the report, with the sudden rise in the number of death among Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia last week due to coronavirus infection, the total death toll of Bangladeshi citizens abroad reached 800.

The death toll was 90 one week ago.

So far, 203 Bangladeshis died of coronavirus infection and with its symptoms in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh Ambassador in the country Golam Moshi told the FE on Tuesday.

He informed that the situation is grim, and Bangladesh Embassy is monitoring the situation closely.

"We are doing whatever we can to provide support to the Bangladeshi community here," he added.

However, in the US and in Europe the rate of death among Bangladeshis from coronavirus infection slowed down.

In the US, around 260 Bangladeshis died of corona, local community leader Saidur Rahman said.

In the UK, 220 Bangladeshi expatriates died of the virus infection, community leaders said.

They, however, mentioned that the figure was collected from hospital sources. The number could be higher, if the deaths at old homes were counted, one of them said.

In the UAE, 46 Bangladeshis died of corona, in Kuwait the number is 25, in Italy nine, in Canada nine, and in Sweden eight. France and Spain saw death of five Bangladeshis each, and in Qatar the number is six.

The death toll is one each in Portugal, Libya, the Maldives, Gambia, South Africa, Bahrain and Kenya.

So far, around 35,000 Bangladeshi expatriates, living in different countries, are infected with Covid-19.

Among them, the number of infected Bangladeshis is the highest in Singapore. Nearly, 16,000 Bangladeshis are affected there, but so far, no Bangladeshi died of coronavirus there.

Singapore government is bearing the treatment cost of the Bangladeshi corona patients.

But the situation of undocumented Bangladeshi workers in the Middle-East, who are infected by the virus, is very tragic. They are not getting any support from the host governments due to their illegal stay in those countries, community sources said.

However, foreign ministry DG Khalilur Rahman, the focal person for its Covid-19 pandemic information, said many of the expatriates, who died of corona abroad, were foreign passport holders.


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