Death toll rises to 9 after gas leak at Ctg shipbreaking yard
Army troops were deployed in the afternoon to bring the situation under control as locals had grown agitated following the deaths of the nine workers.
The death toll from a gas leak at Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, has risen to nine, according to police and fire service officials.
The accident occurred at around 8:30am today (14 August), but the fire service was informed more than two hours later at around 10:50am, officials said.
Army troops were deployed in the afternoon to bring the situation under control as locals had grown agitated following the deaths of the nine workers.
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As it was a Friday, the designated weekly holiday, a total of 34 workers and employees were present at Ferdous Steel.
A team from Kumira Fire Service reached the yard at around 11:10am and initially rescued two workers dead and three others injured.
Six injured workers are receiving treatment at different hospitals.
Fire service officials said the accident may have been caused by a leakage of carbon monoxide gas.
Alauddin Talukder, in charge of the CMCH police outpost, confirmed that seven of the victims were taken to the hospital. "Five of them were declared dead by on-duty doctors," he added.
Local residents said workers were not allowed to enter the yard for hours after the accident. Angered by the delay, residents later broke open the gate and entered the yard, where some vandalism took place.
They subsequently joined the rescue operation and helped recover eight injured workers, locals said.
The situation turned emotional after the bodies of two workers were brought to the yard. Families of workers identified as Palash Das and Sani Das, from the nearby Jelepara area, arrived at the scene and broke down in grief.
Local residents alleged that although the factory was supposed to remain closed today, workers had been forced to carry out work at the yard.
They also alleged that members of the safety team were not present when the work was being carried out. Senior officials from Industrial Police and district police visited the site, while Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fakhrul Islam also reached the scene and tried to bring the situation under control.
Residents gathered outside the yard demanded a proper investigation into the accident and exemplary punishment for those responsible.
Earlier in the day, Ferdous Steel Managing Director Ferdous Wahid had told The Business Standard that three workers had died and around 10 others were injured.
At the time, he said the number of casualties could rise. His concerns were later borne out as police and fire service officials confirmed that the death toll had reached seven by around 1pm.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over safety practices at shipbreaking yards in Sitakunda, one of Bangladesh's largest ship recycling hubs.
