54 Bangladeshis to arrive from war-torn Lebanon Monday evening

The first batch of 54 Bangladeshi nationals evacuated from Lebanon is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Monday evening by a commercial flight.

The group, comprising 26 men, 20 women, six children, and two infants, will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:00pm today following a transit stop in Jeddah, a foreign ministry confirmed this to BSS.

They departed from Beirut at 10:50 pm (local time) on Sunday and reached Jeddah at 8:20 am on Monday morning. The flight is expected to leave Jeddah at 1:20pm (local time) for Dhaka.

Foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain earlier informed the media that the government has initiated the repatriation of documented Bangladeshi nationals from Lebanon.

He noted that limited seat availability on flights out of Beirut has restricted the number of returnees in this initial phase.

"Given the capacity constraints, we are exploring options to transport a larger group by sea to Turkey, from where they can fly to Bangladesh," he said.

The repatriation efforts are being coordinated in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis affected by the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

There are an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Bangladeshi nationals in Lebanon, but only about 1,800 have expressed interest in returning home.

Of those, approximately 160 have the necessary legal documentation for repatriation.

The process is complicated for many others due to the lack of proper documentation, which is required to obtain exit clearances and pay associated fees, according to the foreign ministry’s officials.

The foreign ministry is working closely with the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry to facilitate the return of Bangladeshi citizens stranded in Lebanon.

Earlier, the Bangladesh embassy in Lebanon issued a notification encouraging interested nationals to enrol for repatriation.