Even though five days have passed since the tragic boat capsize in the Mediterranean sea, the government could not make much headaway in identifying the Bangladeshi victims and ascertaining their numbers. The foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen, still could not officially confirm the total death toll of the Bangladeshi migrants and their identities. He yesterday told reporters that they are trying to their best through the officials abroad.

“From different sources, we have gathered that a total of 37 Bangladesh nationals could be dead. It's really tragic. It has been learnt that a few of their have been recovered. We still cannot say anything officially,” he said. “Our ambassador is there. After we know for sure that they are Bangladesh nationals, we'll bring their bodies back. Our ambassador and another official are working there. We still did not get a full report,” he added.

Asked about whether the Bangladeshis alive will be brought back, the minister said they would consider the matter.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society on Monday confirmed the identity of 27 Bangladesh nationals who were mostly from Sylhet, Sunamganj and Shariatpur districts.

Speaking as chief guest at the inception seminar on the project “Establishing Digital Birth and Death Notification System and Capacity Building in Health System for Strengthening EPI and CRVS in Bangladesh,” the foreign minister yesterday said the country's birth registration system is still very poor, but it is very important for the country’s development.

“Civil registration of vital statistics (CRVS) is mandatory. This process started in 2014 and we want to complete it by 2024,” he added.

Momen also proposed that the information about 1.20 crore Bangladeshi expatriates be included in the CRVC process.

He said a number of ministries and departments are working on CRVS for achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a qualitative way. The process of birth registration has to be completed within 45 days of the birth of a child, he added.

The objective of the programme is to strengthen the immunisation coverage and CRVS infrastructure in Bangladesh for achieving health-related SDGs, he noted.