Birmingham wall collapse: Families face £25k bill to return their dead

It was revealed as post-mortem examinations on the victims were due to begin.

The operation to recover the men's bodies was completed on Friday after a painstaking process lasting nearly 30 hours. They were left buried under concrete and scrap metal after a 15ft high wall made up of 1.5 ton blocks came down at Hawkswood Metal in Nechells, Birmingham.

The men were all Spanish nationals originally from the Gambia and their relatives are now desperate to bring them home so funerals can be held.

The families are believed to have been quoted between £4,000 and £5,000 to repatriate one body – meaning £25,000 might have to be paid in total to get them all home.

• MORE: £20,000 raised for wall collapse victims' families

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• MORE: All five bodies recovered after painstaking operation

Those close to the families are concerned they will struggle to raise the cash, especially as the men were from poor backgrounds and came to the UK to find work.

The workers have been named locally as being from the city's tight-knit 10,000-strong Gambian community.

Saibo Sillah, 42, Ousman Jabbie, Mohammed Jangana, Alimano Jammeh and Bangaly Dukureh were all married and with children, according to the city's Gambian Association.

Members of the community said they were hard workers on minimum wage who had been employed through a recruitment agency. Some of the men also had links to the Black Country as they worshipped regularly in Smethwick.

A sixth man injured in the accident is currently in hospital after suffering a broken leg although it is not thought to be life-threatening.

Post-mortem examinations on the men began yesterday.

A joint West Midlands Police and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation is under way but is expected to take many months. An operation to recover the bodies lasted nearly 30 hours as specialist teams were faced with a 'challenging and complex' scene.

Mr Sillah was a regular visitor to the Gambian Islamic Centre in Raglan Road, Smethwick, while more of the victims are also believed to have worshipped in the town.

Manka Sawo, a friend of Mr Sillah, worships at the centre.

He said: "Saibo is a friend of mine. He's been in the community for a few years.

"He's very polite and hardworking and respects everybody.

"Saibo was trying to get his family over to the UK but the visas were turned down some time ago so he tried to reapply.

"He left behind four younger children and two older ones who live in Spain."

Members of the Muslim community in Smethwick have told of their shock at the tragedy. Yaqoob Bhat, a member of the Masjid Usman Mosque, in Shireland Road, said: "It is shocking, especially for those who know them."

Mazhar Mohammed, chairman of the Jamia Mosque, in Corbett Street, said: "It's tragic and a sad situation.

"My thoughts are with the family at this terrible time."