4 likely killed in Mediterranean trying to sail to Greece

Bangla Press Desk: As many as 22 people, including at least four Bangladeshis, died from starvation while remaining stranded for six days on a floating rubber-boat in their attempts sail to Greece via the Mediterranean through undocumented channels.All the deseased hail from Derai upazila of Sunamganj.The four deceased have been identified as: Md Nuruzzaman Sardar alias Moyna, 30, son of Abu Sardar from Tarapasha village of Kulanj Union in Dirai upazila; Sajidur Rahman, 28, son of Abdul Gani; Sahan Ehiya, 25, son of Islam Uddin; and Mujibur Rahman, 38, son of Abdul Malek from Rajanagar Union of the same upazila.

The victims were thrown overboard after they succumbed to hunger and thirst.

Two Sudanese men, believed by Greek authorities to have been behind the alleged smuggling operation have been ordered to appear before a local court on Crete within 48 hours up till Monday.

On Saturday afternoon, Rohan Ahmed, 25, son of Abdul Kahar who was on the boat and hailed from the Tarapasha village, confirmed the matter over the phone to journalists. Rohan said that several of the migrants died from hunger, including the aforementioned four.

Local union parishad member Shahnoor Mia, also from the same village, said that it was Rohan who informed the village about the deaths of the four men over the phone. They had been taken from Libya to Greece by sea in a rubber boat.

Mohammad Zakaria, the elder brother of Sahan Ehiya, said that each of them had made a deal with brokers to go to Greece for Tk12 lakh. They left home last month. Half of the payment was made after reaching Libya. There had been no contact with them for several days. This afternoon, their cousin Rohan informed them by phone about the deaths of the four.