Nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese died after a Greece-bound boat carrying 42 migrants drifted in the Mediterranean for around 11 days without adequate food and water, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment confirmed today.
Citing a report from the Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo, the ministry said 38 Bangladeshis and four Sudanese had left Libya for Greece on August 3. The rubber boat had no proper navigation system and later ran out of fuel, leaving the passengers adrift in the Mediterranean. It eventually reached the Egyptian coast on the evening of August 13.
According to the embassy report, 29 Bangladeshis were rescued after the boat reached the Marsa Matruh coast. Of them, 18 who were seriously ill or injured were admitted to Marsa Matruh General Hospital. The embassy is monitoring their condition and working to provide necessary consular assistance.
According to survivor Abdul Karim's account cited in the report, nine Bangladeshis and one Sudanese died from intense heat and a lack of food and water during the ordeal. Their bodies were later thrown into the sea after they began decomposing, the report said.
The deaths come as Bangladesh tops the list of countries whose nationals are reaching Greece by sea from Libya, according to Frontex data cited by Brac.
Between January and June this year, at least 3,608 Bangladeshis made the journey. Sudan and Afghanistan were the next two countries on the list.
Karim, from Shantiganj upazila in Sunamganj, said the boat had set out for Greece with 42 people on board, including 38 Bangladeshis.
"When we got close to Greece, the boat's engine broke down. As a result, we could not move any further," Karim said in a video circulating on social media.
He also described the deteriorating condition of the survivors after spending days at sea.
"Because we remained in salt water for a long time, parts of our bodies began to rot and give off a foul smell," he said.
Karim said the rubber boat had a capacity of only 25 passengers, but 42 people were put on board, and it was equipped with just one engine.
Md Zakir Hossen, first secretary (labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Cairo, told The Daily Star that embassy officials had spoken to local police and hospital authorities and later contacted Karim via WhatsApp.
According to Karim's account to the embassy, 42 people left Libya on August 3 for Greece. The boat later broke down in the Mediterranean and ran out of fuel, leaving the passengers adrift for around 11 days before reaching the Marsa Matruh coast on August 13.
Local residents alerted police after spotting the boat, and around 29 to 30 people, many of them unconscious, were rescued and taken to two hospitals, he said.
"They are in treatment under police supervision," Zakir added.
The embassy has sought consular access to the survivors and will be able to provide more detailed information once access is granted, he said.
Zakir said the Bangladeshi survivor told the embassy that 10 fellow passengers had died due to a lack of food and water and exposure to extreme heat, and that their bodies had to be thrown into the sea.
The latest incident follows another deadly journey in March, when at least 18 Bangladeshis died while travelling from Libya towards Greece, including 12 from Sunamganj.
The boat, which left Tobruk in Libya on March 21, lost its way and drifted for six days without food or water, according to information provided earlier by Brac.
The bodies were later thrown into the sea on the traffickers’ instructions.
The route from Libya across the Mediterranean is known as the Central Mediterranean Route. According to Frontex data cited by Brac, around 1.10 lakh Bangladeshis entered Europe through this route between 2009 and June 2026.
Brac said 20,259 Bangladeshis entered Europe across the Mediterranean in 2025. In the first six months of 2026, 4,249 entered Italy, while 3,608 reached Greece by sea from Libya.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of Brac, told The Daily Star that Bangladeshis had remained at the top among those crossing the Mediterranean towards Italy for several years and were now also first among those heading to Greece.
He said Bangladesh ranking ahead of war-torn Afghanistan and poverty-hit Sudan damaged the country’s international image. Many people were dying on the routes, while others faced detention, torture and extortion in Libya, he said.
“These incidents should not be treated in isolation. The relevant government agencies need to work together,” Shariful said, adding that stopping such trafficking would be difficult without political will and firm commitment from the highest level of government.
Meanwhile, at least five men from Shantiganj who were supposed to make a boat trip from Libya to Greece have gone missing, according to local sources.
They are Hridoy Pal of Pagla Shatrumardan, Enamul Khan, Ripon Mia and Mamun Khan of Chikarkandi, and Md Talha of Ransi village.
Hridoy’s uncle Kanon Pal said he last spoke to him on July 31, when Hridoy told him he would make the journey on August 3.
Two boats left that day, Kanon said. Someone from the first boat later contacted the family and said Hridoy was on the second boat. The family has not heard from him since.
Karim’s family declined to comment. Two other families contacted also declined to speak.
Some local residents alleged that influential brokers had assured the families that their sons were alive and told them not to speak to the media.
[Our Sylhet correspondent also contributed to this report.]
