Dhaka, Sept. 18 -- A total of 176 Bangladeshi nationals returned home from Libya today under a voluntary repatriation programme facilitated by the government of Bangladesh and supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

They were flown to Dhaka in the morning on a special flight operated by Buraq Air from Tripoli and surrounding areas, where they had been staying irregularly, BSS reports citing a press release.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Tripoli coordinated the repatriation process in collaboration with the IOM.

Officials said most of the returnees had entered Libya through irregular channels under the influence of ...