A madrasah teacher from Cumilla was among two Bangladeshis killed in a missile strike at Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia while travelling to perform Umrah.
Mufti Nasrullah, 35, was the son of Maulana Mohammad Ullah of Badrpur village in Dhalua union of Nangalkot upazila. He served as education secretary at Jamia Arabia Rabiul Ulum Madrasah in Dhaka’s Kamrangirchar.
His elder brother, Maulana Ahsan Ullah Badr, said Nasrullah left for Saudi Arabia on Saturday (10 October), leading a group of 45 teachers and staff members from the madrasah on an Umrah pilgrimage.
After arriving in Riyadh, Nasrullah completed the boarding process for a flight to Jeddah. As he was responsible for the group, he was standing at the front when a missile struck around 10 to 15 cubits ahead of him, leaving him critically injured.
He was rushed to hospital, but his family could not contact him afterwards.
“We could not find out what had happened to him. The religious affairs minister and the Bangladesh embassy began looking for him. We learnt of his death at around 4pm on Sunday after the owner of the travel agency through which he had travelled to Saudi Arabia sent us his death certificate,” Ahsan Ullah said.
The family has urged the government to take immediate steps to bring Nasrullah’s body back to Bangladesh and provide appropriate compensation for his three children.
His father, Mohammad Ullah, said Nasrullah had contacted the family after arriving at the airport on Saturday, but they received no further communication before learning of his death on Sunday afternoon.
“We are waiting for his body to be brought back home,” he said.
Nangalkot Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Raihan said he had offered his condolences to the family after receiving the news.
He also assured them that the administration would provide the necessary assistance to bring Nasrullah’s body back to Bangladesh.
About The Author
