Kolkata hotel fire: Relatives wait at Benapole as bodies of five Bangladeshis expected home

Relatives have been waiting at Benapole Land Port with freezer vans since this morning to receive the bodies of five Bangladeshis killed in a fire at a hotel in Kolkata, India.

The bodies are expected to be repatriated through the Petrapole-Benapole border.

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The victims are Kushtia journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmin, their three-year-old son Swarnashish Dutta, Afsana's father Akram Ali, and Savar businessman Zubayer Babu.

Post-mortems on all five victims have been completed.

Zubayer had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment two days before the fire. His elder brother, Mohammad Ali, has been waiting at Benapole with a freezer van to receive the body.

Mohammad Ali said he reached Benapole yesterday afternoon. The body was expected to enter Bangladesh in the evening, but the repatriation was delayed due to complications in obtaining the necessary clearance.

He was later told that the body would arrive early today, but is now expecting it around noon.

Meanwhile, Debashish's brother-in-law, Firoz Hasan, is in Kolkata to oversee the repatriation of the bodies of Debashish and his family members.

Relatives Sanchay Ghosh and Kanchan Nandi are also assisting him, while journalists and relatives from Kushtia have been waiting at Benapole to receive the bodies.

According to family sources, the bodies of Debashish and his son Swarnashish will be cremated according to Hindu religious customs, while Afsana and Akram will be buried according to Islamic rites.

A devastating fire broke out at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata's New Market area early on August 19, killing nine people.

Meanwhile, the body of another Bangladeshi victim, SM Alimuzzaman of Satkhira, will be repatriated through the Bhomra border, while the body of another victim, Rebati Sarker, will be cremated in India at her family's request, said Ferdous Hossain, officer-in-charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration.

"The bodies will be handed over to the relatives after they reach Bangladesh and the required legal procedures are completed," he added.

However, no specific time has yet been confirmed for when the vehicles carrying the bodies will reach Benapole.