The body of a Bangladeshi migrant killed in a missile strike in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates amid the ongoing Middle East conflict arrived in Bangladesh on Monday when the government confirmed one more death in Saudi Arabia raising the total number of Bangladeshi nationals killed in the war to four.

Government officials said that at least 14 others Bangladeshis were injured in the war until Monday.

The deceased, Ahmed Ali, a resident of Baralekha upazila in Moulvibazar, was also known as Saleh Ahmed. He was killed in an Iranian missile strike in Dubai on March 2.

State minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment Nurul Hoque and state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam received the body at the Dhaka airport.

Iran launched the strikes following large-scale attacks on its territory by the United States and Israel on February 28. The hostilities continued on Monday as at least 1,200 people were killed and scores others were injured.

Bangladesh government on Monday confirmed that in a latest strike two Bangladeshis were killed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

The deceased were Bacchu Mia from Katiadi in Kishoreganj and Mosharraf Hossain from Shakhipur in Tangail.

Earlier, Bangladeshi nationals killed in the conflict were Mohammad Tarek, a resident of Azimpur at Sandwip of Cox’s Bazar who died in Bahrain and Ahmed Ali, whose body arrived from Dubai.

Expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury on Monday said that the government would bring back all the bodies of the deceased migrants as quickly as possible.

Officials said that at least 14 Bangladeshi nationals had so far been injured in different Middle Eastern countries during the conflict. Many of them were undergoing treatment at the hospitals in the respective countries.

The Gulf Arab countries remain the most common overseas employment destinations for Bangladeshis, with more than six million nationals working there over the decades, said the foreign ministry.

However, the real number of migrant workers much higher in the Middle East countries, estimated migration experts.

In Kuwait, four Bangladeshi nationals — Aminul Islam from Nabinagar in Brahmanbaria, Rabiul Islam from Sathia in Pabna, Masudur Rahman from Begumganj in Noakhali and Dulal Miah from Chandina in Cumilla — were injured in a drone strike near a civilian airport.

Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that Bangladeshi missions in the affected countries had been instructed to provide necessary support and treatment to the injured migrants.

He added that the government was ready to extend assistance to migrant workers wherever necessary.

The Bangladesh government on Monday again condemned the attacks and the loss of lives, reiterating that it would prioritise ensuring the safety of its nationals abroad.

‘Bangladesh strongly condemns all such attacks that result in the loss of innocent lives and calls upon all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint. It urges the international community to take urgent and effective measures to de-escalate the situation and prevent further loss of life,’ the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

New Age’s staff correspondent in Sylhet reports: expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury handed over the body of Ahmed Ali to his family after it reached Sylhet Osmani International Airport.

Earlier, the body arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at about 8:20am on an Emirates Airlines flight. It was later transported to Sylhet by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.

Sylhet divisional commissioner Md Reza-Un-Nabi, Sylhet range deputy inspector general of police Md Mushfequr Rahman, Sylhet deputy commissioner Md Sarower Alam and Sylhet Metropolitan Police commissioner Abdul Quddus Chowdhury, among others, were present at the airport.

Ahmed Ali, who worked as a water-tank driver, had been living in Dubai for about 35 years, his cousin Kamal Ahmed told journalists.

‘His two younger brothers — Zakir Hossain and Burhan Uddin — also work there. They informed the family members in Bangladesh about the incident,’ he said.

Bangladesh missions in the affected countries urged migrant workers to follow the instructions of local authorities and seek assistance from the missions, if necessary.