First batch of 54 Bangladeshi nationals evacuated from war-torn Lebanon arrived in Dhaka by a Saudi Arabian commercial flight on Monday afternoon.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment adviser Dr Asif Nazrul received them at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), BSS reported.
The first group, comprising 26 men, 20 women, six children and two infants, landed at the airport at around 5:30 pm following a transit stop in Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain earlier informed the media that the government has initiated the repatriation of documented Bangladeshi nationals from Lebanon.
The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministries in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) are in coordination to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis affected by the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.
About 70,000 to 100,000 Bangladeshi nationals are now living in Lebanon. But only about 1,800 have expressed their interests to back home and out of them about 160 have the necessary legal documentation for repatriation.
Earlier, Bangladesh Embassy in Lebanon issued a notification encouraging interested nationals to enrol their names for repatriation.
bd-pratidin/GR
