What caused massive accident at Sitakunda ship-breaking yard

Eight workers have died after being exposed to toxic gas while cutting a scrap ship at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram. The co-workers of the victims have alleged that after the workers fell ill, they were not provided with timely medical treatment.

Questions have also been raised about whether the ship was properly made gas-free before it was cut.

The incident took place around 9:00 am today, at a factory named Ferdous Steel in the Station Road area of Bhatiari Union. The ship being cut was used for transporting LNG.

Five of the eight deceased are: Sani Jaldas, Palash Jaldas, Habibur Rahman, Mansur Ali, and Nasir Uddin. They are all residents of the Bhatiari area. Among them, Mansur Ali and Nasir Uddin are siblings.

Worker Shuvo Jaldash, who witnessed the incident, told Prothom Alo that the work of cutting the ship’s LNG tanks was in its final stages. Work was underway on a tank located at the bottom of the ship. Workers were working there today morning as well.

Shuvo said that around 8:30 am, the foreman took seven to eight workers and a cutterman to cut around the circumference of a tank. Then they moved away.

About 10 minutes later, when they went there to fully open the hole, two workers collapsed unconscious. Two more workers were affected by the gas while trying to rescue them. The cutting foreman then went forward to rescue the workers and also collapsed. A safety officer wearing a mask entered the area to see what had happened and lost consciousness as well.

Shuvo said he also went forward after seeing workers being affected one after another. He tried to pull one of them out by attaching a hook from a distance, but was also exposed to the gas and lost consciousness in the mud outside the ship. He was later pulled out by a crane operator.

Factory worker Md. Rafiq told Prothom Alo that not all the unconscious workers died at the scene. Even after some of them were rescued from the ship and taken to a safe distance, they were not sent to the hospital on time.

Rafiq said, "Palash Jaldas was still alive even after being rescued. But at that time, there was no ambulance, physician or oxygen cylinder inside the factory. If oxygen had been provided on time, so many lives would not have been lost."

During an on-site visit at noon, three ambulances were seen parked inside the factory. Two of them left a short while later. The bodies of Palash Jaldas and Sani Jaldas were still lying near the factory gate, with relatives crying around them. The Fire Service was seen rescuing one sick worker and taking him away.

Taufiqul Islam, assistant director of Fire Service Chattogram, told Prothom Alo that upon receiving a call at 10:50 am on the national emergency service number 999, a team from the Kumira Fire Service went to the scene and rescued the casualties.

Taufiqul Islam said the ship being cut at the Ferdous Steel Ship Breaking Yard and Recycling Factory used to transport LNG. Such ships must be made gas-free before they are cut. Some tanks may contain fluorine, carbon monoxide, or carbon dioxide, which are highly toxic. It is suspected that this accident occurred because the factory authorities cut the ship without making the tanks gas-free. The factory's security system was also very weak.

Ashraf Uddin, Assistant Director of the Department of Environment Chattogram, told Prothom Alo that upon receiving the news, their officials went to the scene and are trying to find out the cause of the accident. Legal action will be taken based on an investigation into the incident.

SM Sakhawat Hossain, Inspector of the Department of Explosives Chattogram, told Prothom Alo that he is at the scene trying to figure out how and why the incident happened.

SM Sakhawat Hossain said, "Details will be known after the investigation. However, it is primarily suspected that carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide gas and other gases combined to create a toxic environment, resulting in casualties."

Officials of the Department of Explosives oversee whether a ship is made gas-free before being cut.

When asked about this, he said, "The ship is an LNG carrier. They primarily checked whether the cargo gas tanks were gas-free. They are also responsible for checking whether tanks containing oil in the engine room are gas-free. However, apart from that, there are some small chamber tanks that contain hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and so on. It is being examined whether the incident happened because of those."

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Fakhrul Islam told Prothom Alo that workers died after being affected by toxic gas. However, it is not possible to confirm at this moment which gas affected the casualties.

According to him, to investigate the incident and find out which gas affected the workers, an experienced team from the army and officials from the Department of Explosives have been informed. Confirmation will be possible after they visit the scene and investigate the matter.

Md. Mohiuddin, a representative of the factory owners, went to the scene around 2:00 pm and spoke with witnesses of the accident. He claimed that the accident happened while the factory's safety department personnel were working.

Md. Mohiuddin said Friday is a holiday for the factory. The safety department personnel were looking after the factory's security and the accident occurred at that time. All affected workers and their families at the factory will be compensated in accordance with the laws of Bangladesh.