Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata is working to repatriate the bodies of Bangladeshis killed in a fire in the Indian city early today, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said.

“We have contacted our mission in Kolkata. It is working so that we can bring the bodies of the deceased back to Bangladesh as quickly as possible once identification is finished and all formalities are completed,” she told reporters at the foreign ministry today.

She said at least five of the nine people killed in the fire have so far been identified as Bangladeshis. Mission officials are in constant contact with local authorities.

Asked whether the government would bear the repatriation costs, Shama said the victims were not workers and the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry might therefore have limited involvement.

However, she said the government would look into covering the expenses if the victims’ families could not afford them.