Toxic Gas Kills 8 at Bangladesh Shipbreaking Yard

A suspected toxic gas leak killed at least eight workers at a shipbreaking yard in southeastern Bangladesh on Friday, police said.

The men were dismantling a decommissioned ship at the Ferdous Steel Ship Breaking Yard in the Sitakunda area when the gas escaped, police inspector Mohammed Alamgir said.

Several other workers were injured. The initial death toll was six; two more died after being taken from the scene, Alamgir said.

What Caused It

Mahbubul Hasan, a senior government factory inspection official, said the workers died from toxic gas emissions coming off the ship, according to the state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

"The cause of the gas emission and whether adequate safety measures were in place for the workers at the yard are being investigated," Hasan said.

The company that operates the yard did not immediately respond to a request for comment, The Independent reported.

The Industry

Bangladesh's shipbreaking business is concentrated along a 20-kilometer stretch of the Sitakunda coast in Chattogram, where about 150 registered yards employ tens of thousands of workers.

The region accounts for roughly 36% of global ship scrapping, generates an annual turnover of $2.46 billion and supplies more than half of the country's scrap steel.

Environmental campaigners say the industry lacks safety protocols and environmental standards, and that ships arrive in Bangladesh carrying hazardous waste from the West.