4 from Sunamganj among migrants dead in Mediterranean en route to Greece

At least four migrants from Sunamganj's Derai upazila are among the Bangladeshis dead in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to reach Greece from North Africa in a rubber boat, according to local authorities and survivors.

The deceased from Derai have been identified as Nuruzzaman Sardar Moyna, 30, son of Abu Sayeed Sardar of Tarapasha village; Sajidur Rahman, 28, son of Abdul Gani; Shahan Mia, 25, son of Islam Uddin; and Mujibur Rahman, 38, son of Abdul Malek of Ranarchar village.

Umed Ali, an uncle of Nuruzzaman, said he received a phone call from a fellow passenger confirming the deaths.

"He told me that several Bangladeshis, Moyna including three more from Derai, had died on the boat," he said.

Derai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sanjeeb Sarkar said the deaths of four residents had been locally verified.

"Three of them are from Kulanj union and one from Rajanagar union. We have confirmed the information after contacting their families," he said.

He added that two other individuals from the same area survived the journey and provided details about the incident.

Family members said the victims had each paid around Tk12 lakh to traffickers for passage to Greece via Libya. They were reportedly promised a large and safe vessel but were instead placed on a small, overcrowded rubber boat.

Greek authorities said on Friday (27 March) that a vessel operated by Frontex, the European Union's border and coast guard agency, rescued 26 people from a boat near the island of Crete after six days at sea, reports The Guardian.

Among those rescued were 21 Bangladeshis, along with four South Sudanese nationals and one Chadian.

Survivors told the Greek Coast Guard that at least 22 migrants died during the journey due to exhaustion, lack of food and water, and harsh weather conditions. The bodies were reportedly thrown into the sea on the orders of traffickers.

However, the coast guard and Greek authorities did not confirm how many of the dead were Bangladeshi nationals.

The group had departed from Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on 21 March, bound for Greece. The boat reportedly drifted for days after losing direction, with deteriorating conditions leading to multiple deaths.

According to The Guardian's report, the vessel was located about 53 nautical miles from Ierapetra, a coastal town in southern Crete.

The coastguard said, "During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water."

The bodies of those who died "were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers", it said.

The Greek authorities arrested two South Sudanese men believed to be the smugglers.

They are under investigation for "illegal entry into the country" and "negligent homicide".