Overview
- A toxic gas escaped during cutting of a decommissioned liquefied‑natural‑gas carrier at the Ferdous Steel shipbreaking yard, killing at least eight workers and injuring several others.
- Rescue teams and firefighters recovered bodies, treated the injured and continue searching for multiple workers reported missing from the site.
- Police have formed an investigative committee and ordered an audit of the yard after fire service officials said the vessel should have been made gas‑free before dismantling.
- Ferdous Steel has not publicly responded to requests for comment, and officials noted the yard had been listed as a compliant or “green” facility.
- Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry employs tens of thousands along the Chattogram coast and has long faced criticism for weak oversight and hazardous waste handling, which the probe and audit could now test more closely.