Gas leak at Bangladesh shipbreaking yard kills eight

A toxic gas leak at a shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh on Friday resulted in the deaths of at least eight workers and left five others missing, according to police reports. Witnesses in the southeastern port city of Chittagong claimed they heard screams before colleagues rushed some of the victims to the hospital. Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury, a senior police official, confirmed the fatalities and stated that authorities were currently seeking the missing workers.

A committee was formed to investigate the incident, and authorities ordered an audit of the yard. The Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard and Recycling Factory, which had previously transported liquefied natural gas, was initially deemed "green" and compliant. However, fire service official Towfiqul Islam Bhuiyan alleged that safety procedures had been disregarded, as the vessel should have been free of gas before the dismantling process commenced.

According to Bhuiyan, workers exposed to the gas tragically perished, while those at a safer distance managed to survive. Ferdous has declined to comment on the matter. Bhuiyan further explained that firefighters recovered three bodies from the site and discovered several unconscious workers, who were subsequently transported to the hospital.

Shipbreaking is a significant industry along a 25-kilometer (15-mile) stretch of the Chittagong coast on the Bay of Bengal, which is home to one of the world's largest hubs for dismantling vessels. The sector has faced persistent criticism from labor and environmental organizations regarding safety standards and working conditions.

Among the eight workers killed on Friday was Palash Jaladas, whose pregnant wife, Bhoumika Jaladas, expressed her anguish to reporters, asking what she should do now.