"Give back my sons. My heart is burning," she wailed in her local language.

"I was told that the government would bring back the bodies of my sons, but where are they? asked weeping Anwara giving a blank look.

Her husband Ahad Ali also sobbed and tried to console her.

Her two sons Kamal Hossain and Sirajul Islam were among the five Bangladeshis who were killed in a brushfire by a son of their employer in Riyadh on February 5.

The Saudi Police arrested the killer and the victims were kept in the morgue for autopsy.

So, Anwara could not see her sons. Instead, she was given a cheque for Tk 2 lakh from the Wage Earners' Welfare Fund.

Anwara burst into tears when State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Quamrul Islam wanted to know about her present condition.

He also assured her of doing everything for bringing the bodies of her sons.

Achhia Khatun, 30, wife of another victim Belal Hossain, was so shocked that she could not say anything.

Hailing from Laxmipur, she is in a more distressed condition with two adolescent daughters and a handicapped infant son.

Families of six such victims were given Tk 1 lakh each from the Wage Earners' Welfare Fund at the Bureau of Manpower Export and Training (BMET) auditorium in the city yesterday. Quamrul handed over the cheque.

According to expatriate welfare ministry sources, around 3,000 to 4,000 Bangladeshis die abroad every year. Normally the bodies are brought home free of cost by Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Sometimes victims are buried abroad with the consent of their family members.