More than 500 Bangladeshis have arrived safely at Port Sudan from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

Out of a total of 13 buses, 10 buses have already arrived and the remaining three are on the way, said acting ambassador of Bangladesh to Sudan Tarek Ahmed.

Devastating fighting has been going on in Sudan since April 15, and 700 Bangladeshis out of about 1,500 staying there have expressed interest in returning home.

Tarek Ahmed said Bangladeshis have been accommodated in a school building in Port Sudan and food is being provided to them for the few days they will stay here. The school building has a total of eight rooms and another open space with a cover.

Bangladeshis will be safely sent to Jeddah from Port Sudan. They will be taken there on a Saudi ship.

He said that the Saudi authorities are helping with this.

The acting ambassador said: “We will immediately inform the Saudi authorities of the documents of those Bangladeshis who have passports for visas. Apart from this, those who do not have a passport will be issued a travel permit and notified to the Saudi authorities.”

Bangladeshis will go to Jeddah subject to the availability of space on the Saudi ship, he said, adding that citizens of other countries are also travelling on that ship.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia has said that in order to facilitate the overall management, under the supervision of the Jeddah Consulate, it has been decided to accommodate the returnees in the Bangladesh International School English Section in Jeddah.

Ambassador of Bangladesh Mohammad Javed Patwari assured the Saudi authorities that Bangladeshis returning from Sudan will be sent back to the country within 72 hours.