The government is set to repatriate documented Bangladeshi nationals from Lebanon, with the first group of 50 expatriates scheduled to return home on October 20, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said today (Oct 17).

"We are taking immediate steps to bring back expatriates in two batches, around 50 people each, on October 20 and 22," Hossain told reporters at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

He explained that limited seat availability on flights from Beirut has constrained the number of returnees.

"Given the flight capacity, we are exploring options to transport a larger group by sea to Turkey, from where they will fly to Bangladesh," he added.