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Additional 352 Bangladeshis repatriated from the Maldives

An additional 352 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated from the Maldives.

The Bangladeshi nationals were repatriated on two evacuation flights operated to Dhaka, Bangladesh by the national carrier, Maldivian. The first flight evacuated 152 Bangladeshi workers, while the second flight evacuated another 200 Bangladeshi workers. The flights were arranged under an agreement made between the governments of the Maldives and Bangladesh.

The total number of Bangladeshi nationals repatriated from the Maldives amid the COVID-19 pandemic is now 840. The first batch of 68 Bangladeshi workers were repatriated on April 20 on a military flight which evacuated stranded Maldivians in Bangladesh and Nepal. Later, 353 Bangladeshis were repatriated on Biman Bangladesh Airlines, followed by an additional 67 Bangladeshis on another military flight which carried essential supplies donated to the Maldives by Bangladesh.

The government has revealed plans to repatriate 1,500 undocumented Bangladeshi workers from the Maldives. The repatriation flights would be operated by the national airline, Maldivian and Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

Due to congested living conditions, many Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives have been under a high-risk situation of COVID-19 transmission. Expatriate workers from Bangladesh make up over 50% of the COVID-19 cases reported in the Maldives.