At least eight workers killed in toxic gas leak at Chittagong shipbreaking yard

A toxic gas leak at a shipbreaking yard in southeastern Bangladesh killed at least eight workers on Friday while they were dismantling a decommissioned vessel, police said. The incident occurred at the Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard and Recycling Factory in Chittagong, where workers were cutting apart a ship that had previously been used to transport liquefied natural gas.

Witnesses said they heard screams coming from inside the yard before workers rushed several victims to hospital. Senior police official Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury confirmed that eight people had died and said authorities were searching for workers who remained missing. "A committee has been formed to investigate the incident, and the authorities have ordered an audit of the shipbreaking yard," Chowdhury said.

The vessel had been acquired by Ferdous Steel, which police said was listed as a ‘green’ and compliant shipbreaking facility. However, fire service official Towfiqul Islam Bhuiyan said preliminary findings suggested that safety procedures may have been ignored. He said the ship should have been completely cleared of gas before dismantling work began.

"The yard authorities did not follow the instructions. Workers who were exposed to the gas died, while those who were farther away survived," he said.

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Ferdous Steel has not made any public statement about the incident. Bhuiyan said firefighters recovered three bodies from the shipbreaking site and found several other workers unconscious. The injured workers were taken to hospital for treatment. The shipbreaking industry in Bangladesh is concentrated along a 25-kilometre stretch of coastline near Chittagong on the Bay of Bengal. The region is one of the world's largest shipbreaking centres and employs tens of thousands of workers.

The industry accounts for roughly 36 percent of global ship scrapping and includes around 150 registered yards. The sector generates an estimated annual turnover of $2.46 billion and supplies more than half of Bangladesh's scrap steel.

Despite its economic importance, Bangladesh's shipbreaking industry has faced years of scrutiny from labour and environmental organisations over workplace safety, hazardous materials and working conditions.

Among those killed in Friday's incident was Palash Jaladas. His relatives said his wife, Bhoumika Jaladas, is eight months pregnant and was inconsolable after learning of his death. "What shall I do now?" she told reporters. Authorities have launched an investigation into the gas leak and ordered an audit of the shipbreaking yard as questions grow over whether required safety measures were followed before dismantling operations started.