The University of South Florida community gathered in grief to honour two Bangladeshi students who were murdered last month, with hundreds attending a solemn vigil on campus.

Students, faculty and administrators lined up at Crescent Hill, near the Marshall Student Center, on Friday afternoon to place flowers in memory of Nahida Sultana Bristy and Zamil Ahamed Limon, said a press release.

Participants at the vigil offered condolences and support to the victims’ families and friends.

‘We become the village for one another,’ said Imam Hassan Sultan while opening the programme with a prayer.

USF Student Body vice-president Caio Esmeraldi said the entire community stood in solidarity with the bereaved families.

‘This entire community is standing with you today,’ he said.

Omar Hossain, a friend of both victims, recalled shared dreams and memories, saying he would cherish the time they spent together.

Faculty members also paid tribute to the students, describing them as bright, humble and committed to making a difference.

USF president Moez Limayem said the university was deeply saddened by the loss.

‘We gather with heavy hearts to mourn, to remember, and to stand together in the face of a tragedy that has shaken our community,’ he said, adding that the two students would not be forgotten.

The vigil was held near the university’s Student Memorial Wall, where the names of deceased students are engraved. The names of Bristy and Limon are expected to be added in the coming months.

The deaths have left a deep sense of loss across the campus, with students saying their absence will be strongly felt.

The body of Zamil Ahamed Limon, one of the two Bangladeshi students at the University of South Florida of the US who were murdered there, will arrive in Dhaka on May 4.

Golam Mortoza, minister (press) at the Bangladesh Embassy in the United States, in a WhatsApp message on Thursday said the mortal remains will reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on an Emirates flight at 8:40am on the day.

Authorities in Florida have confirmed that the second recovered body is that of Nahida Sultana Bristy, said Golam Mortoza, press minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in the United States, in a WhatsApp message on May 1.