Bid To Reach Europe: 17 Bangladeshis brought back from Tunisia

Seventeen Bangladeshi migrants who were rescued from the Mediterranean during their illegal journey to Europe have returned home from Tunisia on Thursday.

A flight carrying them left Tunisia on Wednesday and landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka yesterday, Bangladesh mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said yesterday.

In a WhatsApp message, IOM said in coordination with the Bangladesh government, it facilitated the migrants' return.

However, it could not be known immediately when the migrants were rescued.

The incidents of Bangladeshi migrants heading for Europe ending up in the Mediterranean have become frequent in recent months.

At least 568 such Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off the Tunisian coast in the past three months, according to the Bangladesh embassy in Libya which provides consular service in Tunisia.

In recent couple of incidents, the migrants were found adrift in the Mediterranean which is widely used by traffickers as a route for illegal migration from North African countries to rich European countries, including Italy, Greece and Spain.

According to the UN, at least 760 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean between January 1 and May 31, compared with 1,400 last year.

IOM yesterday said prior to the return of 17 Bangladeshis, the migrants underwent health checks.

Besides, IOM provided them with food, accommodation, pre-departure transportation assistance, counselling services and protection screening and arranged for the return flight for the migrants.

Before their travel, the migrants were also provided with cash assistance for onward transportation to their respective destinations in Bangladesh from HSIA.

Additionally, the returnees will each receive reintegration support.