The family of Zakir Hossain, 35, is mourning at their home in Atkapara village of Kalikaprasad ইউনিয়ন, Bhairab, Kishoreganj, after he was killed in a gas-leak explosion at a company in Russia’s Amur area on August 25. Relatives and local residents have appealed to the government to bring his body back to Bangladesh.

Zakir, the eldest of four brothers and father of a daughter, had gone to Russia about one and a half years ago after borrowing money to improve his family’s financial condition. He joined SynaFex Company in the Amur area, and the money he sent home each month helped repay debts and support the household.

His relatives said he had recently received a promotion, raising hopes of greater financial stability for the family. The death news reached his village home yesterday, bringing grief across the area. Bhairab Upazila Nirbahi Officer K M Mamunur Rashid said he had been informed and that authorities would notify the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and seek to make every effort to return Zakir’s body.