RIYADH: Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said it was in deep shock after 16 of its nationals died in a factory fire in the Saudi capital.

In a statement, the ministry reported the deaths at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh. The blaze broke out on Sunday at a facility in the industrial area of the Al Shifa district, according to the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh, which said there were no injuries reported — everyone affected died.

Dhaka’s minister for expatriate welfare, Ariful Haque Chowdhury, said there was constant communication with local authorities through the embassy. Officials, he added, had been instructed to ensure the swift repatriation of the bodies and to secure government assistance and compensation for the families.

The embassy said it remained in touch with the families and was coordinating with Saudi authorities on victim identification and repatriation formalities.

The civil defence agency in Riyadh said it had extinguished a fire at an unlicensed facility where furniture was upholstered, without giving casualty details, adding that regulatory procedures for the site had subsequently been completed.

Around seven million Bangladeshis work overseas, the majority in the Middle East, and Saudi media estimate more than three million Bangladeshi nationals live in the kingdom. Like other Gulf states, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on labour from the subcontinent, particularly for manual work.