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Nine workers were killed and six others injured after a suspected toxic gas leak at Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, on Friday, raising fresh questions over safety standards and emergency preparedness in the country’s shipbreaking industry.
The accident occurred at around 8:30am while workers were engaged in dismantling a vessel at the yard. Fire Service officials said they were informed of the incident more than two hours later, at around 10:50am. A rescue team from Kumira Fire Service reached the site at about 11:10am.
The death toll initially stood at three but continued to rise as critically affected workers were taken to hospitals. Police and Fire Service officials later confirmed nine deaths.
The deceased were identified as Sani Das, 35, Palash Das, 39, Md Nasir Uddin, 47, Mansur Ahmed, 55, Rana Mia, 27, Habibur Rahman, Khokon Mia, 40, Abdul Alim Sujon and Matiur Rahman Sajjad, 17.
Fire Service officials initially suspected that carbon monoxide or another toxic gas had leaked from a tank aboard the vessel. They said the exact type of gas and the precise cause of the accident would be established after an investigation.
The incident triggered tension in the area as relatives and local residents gathered outside the shipbreaking yard. Locals alleged that workers had been engaged in operations despite Friday being the designated weekly holiday and claimed that members of the safety team were not present when the work was being carried out.
Angered by the delay in rescue operations and the failure to allow immediate access to the yard, some locals reportedly broke open the gate and entered the premises. They later joined the rescue effort and helped recover injured workers.
Army personnel were deployed in the afternoon to help bring the situation under control.
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury visited Chattogram Medical College Hospital to see the injured workers and meet the families of the victims.
He said the government would investigate whether there had been any safety or compliance failures at the shipbreaking yard.
“An investigation committee will be formed, and action will be taken based on its findings,” he told reporters.
Describing the incident as deeply tragic, the minister said the government would seek to establish the facts through a fair and impartial investigation.
He stressed that worker safety and compliance in industrial establishments were being given priority.
“Green shipbreaking yards are graded and certified in line with the standards of the Hong Kong Convention,” he said.
The latest tragedy has once again drawn attention to occupational safety in Sitakunda’s shipbreaking industry, one of Bangladesh’s important sources of scrap steel and industrial employment. The sector, however, has long faced criticism over workplace accidents, exposure to hazardous substances and inadequate safety measures.
The government will now have to determine whether the yard complied with safety requirements, whether workers were properly equipped and trained, and whether emergency response procedures were adequate.
The incident also raises questions over why the Fire Service was notified more than two hours after the gas leak occurred. A timely emergency response can be critical in accidents involving toxic gases, particularly inside confined spaces such as ship compartments.
The six injured workers are undergoing treatment at different hospitals. Authorities are expected to take further action after the investigation establishes the cause of the leak and identifies any safety violations.
The tragedy has renewed demands from workers’ representatives and local residents for stricter enforcement of safety regulations and greater accountability in the shipbreaking sector.