Specialised BUET Team Begins Probe Into Sitakunda Shipyard Tragedy

Three days after nine workers tragically lost their lives to toxic gas inhalation at a ship-breaking yard in Chattogram, investigators have finally initiated a formal probe. The delay stemmed from high concentrations of hazardous gas lingering inside the vessel, which kept initial administrative committees at bay.

The fatal incident occurred on Friday morning at the Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Yard in the Bhatiary Union of Sitakunda upazila. While cutting an LNG tank deep within the vessel’s hull, a sudden and massive leak of toxic gas claimed the lives of nine labourers on the spot. A surviving worker named Shuvo Jaldas recounted that the cutting work on the lower tanks was nearly complete when the invisible hazard swept through the area, giving the victims virtually no time to escape.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, three separate bodies were formed to uncover the sequence of events: an 11-member committee led by the Ministry of Industries, a 9-member committee formed by the Chattogram district administration, and a 3-member panel established by the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA).

Despite the urgency, none of these initial teams could physically board the vessel. According to the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board (BSRB), the atmosphere inside the ship remained dangerously toxic and volatile. Hydrogen sulphide—a gas known to be heavier than air and exceptionally lethal—had pooled in the enclosed chambers, creating an immediate hazard that prevented entry. The Sitakunda upazila administration formally wrote to the Ministry of Industries on Sunday, highlighting that local agencies such as the Fire Service, Department of Explosives, and Department of Environment were struggling to identify the exact leakage points or safely extract gas samples without specialist intervention.

To overcome this impasse, the Ministry of Industries issued a fresh directive on Sunday evening, establishing an eight-member specialised expert committee. Headed by Professor Md. Yasir Arafat Khan from the Department of Chemistry at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the panel also includes Captain Md. Shoeb Ahmad, Director of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, and Muhammad Mehedi Islam Khan, Assistant Inspector at the Department of Explosives.

BSRB Director General A S M Shafiul Alam Talukdar confirmed that a strategic meeting took place at the Chattogram Circuit House following the formation of the committee. The specialised team officially commenced their operations on Monday. Their immediate mandate is to map out the remaining pockets of gas, determine the chemical nature of the substances involved, identify the exact source of the leak, and outline a protocol to render the vessel completely gas-free.

Authorities have emphasised that safety remains the absolute priority. Before any conventional investigators or forensic teams are allowed inside, the vessel must be thoroughly decontaminated. Officials are considering engaging specialised private contractors with international standards to purge the remaining hazardous vapours safely. The BUET-led expert team has been given a strict three-day deadline to submit its preliminary findings and recommendations to the ministry.