Nine killed in gas leak at Bangladesh ship-breaking yard

Image: Collected

Nine workers were killed after suspected toxic gas leaked inside a vessel being dismantled at a ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda, near Bangladesh’s southeastern port city of Chattogram, on Friday morning.

The incident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time, Md Alamgir, an inspector at Sitakunda Police Station, told journalists. Several others were injured.

“Two more bodies were found at the yard at around 2:30 p.m. after six deaths had already been confirmed,” Alamgir said.

Later in the day, another injured worker died at a private hospital in Chattogram, bringing the death toll to nine.

Some of the injured workers were taken to hospitals before police arrived at the scene. Authorities said the total number of injured could not immediately be confirmed.

According to eyewitnesses and firefighters cited by the police official, the workers were likely killed or injured after toxic gas accumulated inside the vessel.

The workers were reportedly carrying out cleaning and maintenance work aboard the ship when they detected gas leaking from a tank.

Mohammed Mohsin Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), told a local newspaper that efforts were being made to airlift at least two critically injured workers to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.

The government has formed a committee to investigate the incident, while operations at the ship-breaking yard have been suspended until further notice.

Some ship-breaking operations in Sitakunda are carried out on open tidal mudflats without adequate safety and environmental controls.

The process, commonly known as beaching, exposes workers to toxic gases, heavy metals and falling steel, contributing to frequent workplace injuries and deaths.

The Sitakunda coast has emerged in recent years as one of the world’s largest ship-breaking hubs, attracting end-of-life vessels from shipping companies for dismantling and recycling.

Source: Xinhua