Bereaved family waits for Hadisur's body to return
'As the situation in Ukraine is worsening, the procedure to bring back Hadisur's body is being delayed'
The long wait of Banglar Samriddhi's deceased sailor Hadisur Rahman's bereaved family seems to grow longer as there was no confirmation on when the government will be able to bring home his mortal remains.
Hadisur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sailor and 3rd engineer of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) ship MV Banglar Samriddhi, was killed in a missile attack last week amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Their ship was positioned in the inner anchorage of Olvia port in Ukraine.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
After the attack, Bangladesh Embassy in Poland evacuated 28 crew members of the bulk carrier and declared the ship abandoned.
According to BSC deputy GM Captain Md Mujibur Rahman, the body of Hadisur has been preserved in a bunker near Ukraine and it will be brought back at a convenient time.
When asked, General Secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association (BMMOA) Md Shakwat Hossain said, "As the situation in Ukraine is worsening, the procedure to bring back Hadisur's body is being delayed.
He said the procedure is expected to begin within five to seven days depending on the situation there.
Meanwhile, the surviving crew members of the Banglar Samriddhi vessel returned home in Dhaka, from Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday (9 March).
Along with the relatives of the returning crew members, Hadisur's distraught family was spotted waiting at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) since Wednesday morning.
Hadisur's father Abdur Razzak Hawlader, mother Rashida Begum and youngest brother Tariqul Islam were seen waiting outside the CIP gate of Dhaka airport around 1pm, while Golam Rahman Prince - his younger brother – were running around to look for information on Hadisur's return.
While speaking to the press he urged the authorities concerned to quickly bring his brother's remains back from Ukraine so that his family could give Hadisur a proper burial.
"My brother always wanted to help the people in our village. He was our breadwinner. I would request the prime minister to take steps in this regard," he said.
The devastated parents at the time were continuously lamenting the loss while being left with tears and the pain of this dreadful wait for the body of their lifeless son.
The bulk carrier owned by BSC reached the port of Olvia on 22 February as it was scheduled to carry ceramic raw material from Ukraine to Italy. On 24 February, Russia attacked Ukraine leading to the ship being stranded at the port.
