Published : 14 Oct 2026, 09:15 PM
Updated : 14 Oct 2026, 09:15 PM
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has sought Saudi Arabia's cooperation to swiftly repatriate the bodies of two Bangladeshis killed in an attack by the Yemeni armed group Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
She made the call on Wednesday when Saudi Ambassador to Dhaka Abdullah bin Zafer Abiyah paid a courtesy call on her at the foreign ministry.
The ministry said in a media statement that Shama urged Saudi Arabia to expedite the process of returning the dead Bangladeshis' remains.
At the same time, she thanked the Saudi authorities for providing medical treatment to the injured Bangladeshis.
Shama expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the recent attack and conveyed her condolences over the loss of lives, the ministry said.
She also called for de-escalating tensions through dialogue and diplomacy.
Thirteen people, including the two Bangladeshis, were killed and over 300 others injured in the Houthi attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh on Saturday.
According to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, the victims alongside the two Bangladeshis included four Saudi nationals and one citizen each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt.
The latest figures show that 309 people were injured.
One of the dead Bangladeshis, Shahed Ahmed, hailed from Bogura while the other victim, Nasrullah Badarpuri, was from Cumilla.
In its statement on Wednesday, the ministry added that the Saudi ambassador thanked Bangladesh for its solidarity and cooperation in the wake of the Houthi attack.