A toxic gas leak at a shipbreaking yard in southeastern Bangladesh killed at least 8 workers on Friday during the dismantling of a decommissioned ship, police said. Several others were injured at the Ferdous Steel Ship Breaking Yard in the Sitakunda area.
Senior government factory inspection official Mahbubul Hasan said the workers died due to toxic gas emissions from the ship. The cause of the gas emission and whether adequate safety measures were in place for the workers at the yard are being investigated.
Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry is a multi-billion dollar global giant concentrated along a 20-kilometer stretch of the Sitakunda coast in Chattogram. The industry employs tens of thousands of workers and has been criticized by green campaigners for lacking safety protocols and environmental standards.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
