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Hydrogen sulfide gas has been identified as the suspected cause of death of 10 workers at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, according to a preliminary investigation.
A team of experts found dissolved hydrogen sulfide in water inside a tank of the old LNG carrier MT Rashi, which was being dismantled at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Bhatiary on August 14.
The expert team submitted its preliminary report to the Ministry of Industries after inspecting the accident site. Professor Md Easir Arafat Khan of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), who heads the team, said hydrogen sulfide may have been released into the air when ballast water was pumped out of the ship’s tank.
Tests conducted by the Department of Explosives shortly after the accident also detected hydrogen sulfide at the site. However, the exact concentration of the gas at the time of the accident remains unknown.
The expert team did not detect carbon monoxide at the site.
Samples of the tank water have been sent to a laboratory for further analysis to determine how the gas accumulated, how much was released and the level to which the workers were exposed.
Officials said the investigation is still ongoing and a final conclusion will be reached after the detailed test results are available.