Published : 10 Aug 2026, 05:30 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:31 AM
A lone worker has escaped a fire that broke out at a sofa factory in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, killing 16 other Bangladeshis.
The survivor, identified as Habibur Rahman, was at a salon for a haircut when the blaze erupted at the factory around 2pm local time on Sunday, according to Muhammad Rezae Rabbi, labour counsellor at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
Habibur told the embassy that he went to the salon around 1:30pm. When he returned, he saw the factory engulfed in flames.
The factory is located in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area under Shifa Police Station.
A preliminary assessment suggests an electrical short circuit may have triggered the fire.
The embassy learnt from Habibur that 17 people worked at the factory, which was run by Bangladeshi workers. Sixteen of them died at the scene.
Citing the local Civil Defence, it said eight of the victims died from burns, while the other eight died from smoke inhalation.
The embassy said the Fire Service rescue operation ended at 11pm local time on Sunday. It is working closely with the relevant district administration and Saudi authorities to identify the victims.
It also said written consent from the victims’ families is required to either bury the bodies in Saudi Arabia or repatriate them to Bangladesh.
Thirteen of the 16 victims are from Atrai Upazila in Naogaon.
Two are from Naldanga Upazila in neighbouring Natore, while another is from Bagmara Upazila in Rajshahi, which borders Atrai.
The reported victims from Atrai include Farid Sheikh, 32; Md Lutfar, 32; Md Kalimuddin, 30; Mohan; Rubel; Md Jalil; Sagar; Majidul; Hasibul Hasan Shuvo, 30; and Sumon, among others.
The two from Naldanga are Shamim and Sakib. The one from Rajshahi's Bagmara is Shyamal.
These victims have been identified with single names.
