Depali Akter

Their life

Depali Akter was a 34-year-old Bangladeshi migrant worker from Faridpur district. Coming from a financially struggling family, she went abroad to Lebanon to work as a domestic helper in order to support her relatives. She played a key role in improving her family’s living conditions through remittances and was known for her dedication to lifting her family out of poverty.

Born in a rural char area along the Padma River in Faridpur, Depali grew up in hardship and poverty. From a young age, she contributed to her family’s survival by catching fish and selling flowers. After her mother died in a lightning strike about eight years earlier, the family’s situation worsened significantly. Determined to provide for her family, Depali first traveled to Lebanon in 2011 at the age of 19 and worked there for nearly seven years before returning home in 2018. With her earnings, she helped build a house and supported her siblings, including arranging marriages for her sisters. Despite health concerns, she returned to Lebanon again in April 2024 to continue supporting her elderly father, demonstrating her strong sense of responsibility and sacrifice.

How they died

Depali Akter, a Bangladeshi expatriate worker, died after being critically injured in an Israeli airstrike that hit a residential building in Beirut, Lebanon. She was inside the house where she worked as a domestic helper when the bombardment occurred. The explosion caused severe injuries, and despite being taken to a hospital, she later succumbed to those injuries.

Depali Akter’s death resulted from the broader escalation of armed conflict in the Middle East, where airstrikes have targeted urban areas. In this case, a residential building in Beirut’s Hamra district was struck during heavy bombardment. The impact caused widespread destruction and multiple fatalities. As a civilian migrant worker living and working in the affected home, Depali was exposed to the blast without any protection. The intensity of the explosion led to life-threatening injuries, highlighting the vulnerability of foreign workers caught in conflict zones.

A plea from the family

Depali Akter’s family has made an emotional appeal to the Bangladeshi government to bring her body back home for burial. Her younger sister expressed a heartfelt desire to see her one last time, while her father stated that he wants to bury his daughter in their homeland. The family is seeking government assistance to repatriate her remains and provide support during this difficult time. ‘I want to bury her in our soil’: Father of Depali akter "I just want to see my sister's face one last time," said Laizu Begum, Depali’s younger sister.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Depali Akter, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources