Bokaro: A pall of gloom descended on Katwari village in Gomia block of the district late on Tuesday after the body of Satyendra Mahto, the 41-year-old village resident who died in a road accident in Saudi Arabia a month ago, arrived at his house.The family members of Mahto performed his last rites on Wednesday.A migrant worker, Mahto travelled to Saudi Arabia on Nov 26, 2024. Soon after, he began driving trucks for Hamad Saleh Al-Kaf Contracting Establishment. Mahto was killed in a road accident on June 25 this year.His family, comprising wife, daughter Preeti Kumari, and sons Arvind and Mangesh, waited for a month for his mortal remains because of procedures involved in repatriating the body.District labour superintendent Ranjit Kumar said 38 migrant workers from Bokaro district died in other states during the 2024-25 FY. The number increased to 52 deaths in 2025-26 FY, including three workers who died abroad. Nineteen deaths have been reported, including two deaths overseas, in the ongoing fiscal.Under the state govt’s compensation scheme, families of migrant workers who die within the country receive Rs 50,000, while those whose relatives die abroad are entitled to Rs 5 lakh.Social activist Sikandar Ali, who works on migrant labour issues, said, “Families often endure prolonged trauma while waiting for bodies to return from foreign countries. The govt must develop a faster system for repatriation.”
