Eight workers, including two siblings, have died and at least 30 others have been injured after a toxic gas leak from an old LNG carrier being scrapped at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, triggered an explosion. Doctors said the death toll could rise further.
The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Friday (August 14) at the Ferdous Green Ship Breaking Yard, owned by Mohammad Lokman, on the seafront near Bhatiari Station Road in the upazila.
Local residents said the accident happened around 8 a.m. but the yard’s management initially prevented outsiders from entering for rescue efforts and tried to cover up the incident, contributing to the higher casualty count.
According to local sources, an old LNG carrier had recently been brought to the yard for dismantling. About 35 workers entered the ship to begin cutting operations.
Local resident Ali Azgar said that as workers began cutting inside the vessel, carbon dioxide began leaking from a gas tank and eventually triggered an explosion. With no safety measures in place, workers were overcome by the toxic gas. Three workers died at the scene.
After learning of the incident, local residents rescued the remaining workers and took them to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where five more workers died during treatment, according to duty physician Dr. Ishtiak Ahmed.
Seven of the eight deceased workers have been identified: Sani Jaldas (23), Palash Jaldas (26), siblings Mansur Ali (41) and Nasir Uddin (37), Habibur Rahman, Mohammad Rana (25) and Mohammad Sani. All were residents of the Bhatiari area. At least 30 other workers remain hospitalized.
Yard manager Mohammad Yusuf claimed the yard was closed on Friday. He said around 10 a.m., a tank on the scrap LNG vessel leaked, and some local people came to see what had happened. Several died from the accumulated gas and others were injured, he said.
Local fisherman chief Chand Jaldas said the gas escaping from the factory was so intense that fishermen heading out to catch hilsa could not enter the canal beside the facility. They had to dock their boats at a point at least half a kilometer away.
Local resident Ibrahim Mahmud said screams suddenly erupted from inside the factory. When people rushed to the area, they found workers being loaded into vehicles and taken to the hospital. News then spread that several bodies were still lying inside the ship, prompting locals to enter the compound before police brought the situation under control.
Mohiuddin, brother-in-law of the deceased siblings Mansur and Nasir, broke down in tears, saying that just days earlier they had spoken about the difficult working conditions and had even considered quitting. But they lost their lives in the devastating explosion before they could make that decision.
Angur Ali, uncle of a deceased worker and a former employee of the yard, said he rushed to the scene after hearing about the accident and found a horrifying situation, with workers scattered inside the factory after the blast. The gas was so intense that rescue workers could not initially enter.
Sitakunda Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mohammad Fakhrul Islam said police have confirmed eight deaths so far. The families of the deceased will each receive 1 million taka (about $8,500) in compensation from the Bangladesh Ship Breakers’ Association.
Kumira Fire Service Station chief Al Mamun said the incident is preliminarily believed to have been caused by an explosion and toxic gas exposure.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report