Dhaka, April 23 -- A group of 174 Bangladeshi nationals, who were stranded in Libya while attempting to reach Europe by sea, has returned home.

They arrived at Shahjalal International Airport on a Buraq Air flight on Thursday, the foreign ministry said.

The repatriation was coordinated by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, with support from the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The statement said the returnees had been held in "detention centres" in Libya after becoming irregular migrants.

They were brought back after expressing willingness to return home.

"Most of the repatriated Bangladeshis are...