Toxic Gas Leak Kills Eight Workers at Bangladesh Shipbreaking Yard

Eight workers died at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Bangladesh, on Friday after toxic gas escaped from a tank on a decommissioned LNG ship being dismantled.

The accident was at the Ferdous Steel Ship Breaking Yard, around 8:30am local time. Workers on housekeeping duty on board noticed gas leaking from one of the tanks. Fire services were not notified until 10:50am, local officials said. Two hours had passed by then. Ten or more others fell ill and were taken to hospital.

Bangladesh's Sitakunda coastline is 20 kilometres long. It handles roughly 36 percent of the world's ship scrapping. Gas releases from tanks on ships near the end of their service life have caused serious incidents at yards along this stretch before. A fire at a nearby Sitakunda container depot in 2022 killed more than 40 people.

The Business Standard Bangladesh later reported the death toll had risen to nine.