Of the bodies, 30 are in western zone and 26 in eastern zone of the kingdom, sources in the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment said.

Bangladesh missions in Riyadh and Jeddah informed officials of the ministry that 38 out of 56 bodies would be sent home soon as the Saudi authorities have already given no objection certificate (NOC) for it. Arrangements for sending the rest bodies are also being made, the source mentioned.

The bodies have been lying in morgues for varying periods from the beginning of this year. "We bring back dead bodies of expatriate workers on a regular basis but sometimes the number of bodies increases because of the lengthy process involved," said Dalil Uddin Mondal, secretary of the expatriate welfare ministry.

Non-availability of Biman flights on the routes is another reason behind the delay. Sometimes it takes around three months to complete the process of bringing a body home, he added.

The process involves permission from governors, hospitals and doctors as well as inheritance certificates.

About the number of bodies to be brought back now, he however said it is nothing unusual as there are over 14 lakh Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia. It is natural that several hundred of them die every year, he pointed out.

According to an estimate of Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower Export and Training (BMET) around 350 Bangladeshi workers die in Saudi Arabia a year. A total of 528 expatriate Bangladeshis around the world died last year. Bodies of most of them were brought back home, BMET officilas said.

Sometimes relatives of the dead bring the bodies back without informing the government.

In case of Saudi Arabia, relatives of many of the dead give consent to bury them in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina, one official said.

The government brings back the body of an expatriate if his employer refuses to send it. In such a case, Tk 1 lakh is given to relatives of the dead from the wage earners welfare fund. Besides, Tk 20,000 is given for burial and other purposes if relatives express inability to bear burial expenses, he mentioned.