Eight workers sustained burn injuries in a fire at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram on Tuesday afternoon.
Two of the injured are in critical condition, according to the Industrial Police.
The incident occurred around 1pm at the Ziri Subedar Shipbreaking Yard in the Sonaichhari area of the upazila while dismantling work was underway.
The injured are Dulal Hossain, Hafizur Rahman, Anwar Hossain, Moktar Sheikh, Shahidur Rahman, Faruk, another worker named Dulal, and Hanif Ali.
Abdullah Al Mahmud, superintendent of police (SP) of the Chattogram Industrial Police, said, “Preliminary investigations suggest that sparks from a drill machine fell onto a damaged mobile phone or combustible materials lying in the engine room, which ignited the fire. Eight workers were injured. The flames were quickly brought under control using the shipyard’s own fire extinguishers.”
Police said that among the victims, Shahidur Rahman and Faruk are in critical condition, with burns covering about 20 per cent of their bodies. The remaining workers sustained burns of around 10 per cent, mainly on their hands and feet.
Five of the injured are receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Mehedibagh, while three others have been admitted to the Green Ship Hospital in Sagarika.
SP Abdullah Al Mahmud further stated that around 200 workers were on duty at the yard during the incident, of whom 160 were temporary staff. All the injured were temporary workers.
Md Ferdous Wahid, a partner at Ziri Subedar Ship Recycling Yard, confirmed the incident but said he could not immediately explain how the fire started.
Reacting to the accident, labour rights activist Fazlul Kabir Mintu told Times of Bangladesh, “This fire is the result of inadequate safety measures. We demand full medical support and proper compensation for the injured workers.”
