Nine people are confirmed to have died as a result of a toxic gas leak on a ship being dismantled in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Friday, August 14.
The incident occurred on an LNG carrier that was being dismantled at the Sitakunda facilities of ship recycling company Ferdous Steel.
Eyewitnesses said that hydrogen sulphide gas leaked into one of the onboard compartments shortly after workers commenced cutting operations on one of the onboard seawater ballast tanks.
Two workers reportedly collapsed almost immediately. Seven other personnel ran into the same compartment to bring out the two individuals who had collapsed earlier but later also succumbed to the lethal fumes themselves.
All nine individuals were later pronounced deceased while a number of other on-site personnel suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The ship being dismantled has been identified as the 280-metre LNG carrier Rasi, which was previously registered to Saint Kitts and Nevis. It has since been cordoned off to permit specialist teams to clear the onboard compartments of any hazardous gases.
The Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board has ordered the temporary suspension of operations at the facility pending an investigation by the relevant government agencies.
