Shafiqul, Nahidul set off to Lebanon to secure a better future. Their families’ hopes are crushed as the men return home in coffins

Both men died in a drone strike at Lebanon’s Nabatieh on May 11

Shafiqul Islam had left for Lebanon hoping to secure a better future for his family, dreaming of building a more comfortable home and ensuring his daughters received a good education.

On Sunday, the 40-year-old returned to his village in Satkhira, but in a coffin.

The arrival of his body sparked scenes of grief at his home, with relatives, neighbours and family members breaking down in tears.

Shafiqul, a resident of Satkhira Sadar Upazila, was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh on May 11 amid ongoing hostilities in Western Asia.

Another Bangladeshi, 20-year-old Nahidul Islam of Ashashuni Upazila, was also killed in the same attack.

Nearly a month later, their bodies were brought back to Bangladesh under government arrangements early on Sunday.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam received the coffins at the airport before they were formally handed over to the families on Sunday morning and transported to their villages by ambulance.

Clutching a photograph of her husband, Shafiqul's wife Ruma Khatun recalled the promises he had made before leaving home.

“He told me we would not have to struggle anymore and that he would send our daughters to good schools. He called every day to ask about them. Now he has come back in a wooden box,” she said through tears.

Their elder daughter Mou Akter stood beside her father's coffin and remembered how he encouraged her studies.

“Baba always said I would become a doctor one day. He was so happy whenever I did well in exams. Now he will never see my results again,” she said.

Local union council panel chairman Faruk Hossain Mithu said Shafiqul had been the family's sole breadwinner.

“His death has left the family facing deep uncertainty. The government and well-off members of society should stand beside them,” he said.

Md Khaledur Rahman, acting assistant director of the Expatriates' Welfare Centre in Khulna, said the family had received a Tk 35,000 cheque for funeral expenses at the airport.

He said the family would also receive Tk 300,000 from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board and Tk 1 million in life insurance compensation.

Following Zuhr prayers, Shafiqul and Nahidul were laid to rest in each of their family graveyards.