Bangladeshi sailor killed in Ukraine: Family urges govt to bring body back

Online Desk

Family members of Hadisur Rahman – a sailor of Bangladeshi flagged vessel Banglar Samriddhi who was killed after a missile hit the ship last night – have urged the government to bring his body back to Bangladesh.

Hadisur’s home is in Barguna’s Betagi upazila’s Hosnanabad union.

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His uncle, also the upazila chairman, Maksudur Rahman Forkan, said, “Hadisur is son of madrasa teacher Abdur Razzak Hawlader.” He has been working as the third engineer of Banglar Samriddhi vessel since 2018 after graduating from Bangladesh Marine Academy, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Razzak Hawlader said, “I want to see my son’s body. We are hopeful that the government will take necessary steps to bring his body back.”

Maksudur Rahman also said that he will go to the Barguna Deputy Commissioner and seek his help.

The ill-fated sailor was killed in a missile attack on the ship – that remained stranded at a Ukrainian port – at 9:25 pm last night, Commodore Suman Mahmud told The Daily Star yesterday.

Other 28 crew members managed to douse the blaze immediately while the rest of the crewmen were safe, he said.

The vessel reached the outer anchorage of Ukrainian port Olvia on February 23 to load ball clay.

As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia deteriorated the ship’s owning company Bangladesh Shipping Corporation cancelled the cargo load plan and directed the master of the ship not to berth at the port and shift to international waters.

But due to a delay in getting port clearance the ship failed to leave the port immediately and it got stranded as the port’s operations halted after the Russian invasion.