430 Bangladeshis stranded in Qatar amid Middle East war return home

The returnees include transit passengers as well as staff members from the Bangladesh embassy

Bangladesh has brought home 430 citizens stranded in Qatar amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The passengers arrived in Dhaka on a special Qatar Airways flight on Friday night, Shahjalal International Airport Executive Director SM Ragib Samad said.

The returnees include transit passengers and embassy staff, he added.

The group had been unable to leave the Gulf nation after scheduled commercial flights were cancelled.

In response, the Bangladesh government coordinated with the Qatari authorities and the national carrier to arrange the repatriation.

The Bangladesh embassy initially announced the initiative on Wednesday to bring home those affected by the travel disruptions.

To manage the process, the mission shared a registration link via its official Facebook page and other social media platforms to compile a list of interested passengers.

Qatar is home to more than 400,000 Bangladeshis, accounting for roughly 12.5 percent of the country's total population.

These expatriates provide a vital workforce for Qatar’s construction and service sectors, as well as various private industries.