Nine workers, including two siblings, died and 13 others fell ill after inhaling leaked gas during shipbreaking at a yard in Bhatiary of Sitakunda upazila on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as Sani Jaldas, Palash Jaldas, Mansur Ali and his brother Nasir Uddin, of the Bhatiary area, and Khokon, Abdul Alim, Rana, Habibur Rahman and Matiur Rahman.
Witnesses said a gas pipeline was accidentally severed while workers were dismantling a ship at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries around 11:15am, located along the Bay of Bengal coast west of Bhatiary Railway Station.
Leaked gas spread through the shipbreaking yard, causing several workers to inhale it and fall ill.
Locals said two workers died on the spot while 20 others fell sick after inhaling gas.
The affected workers were rescued and initially taken to Bhatiary BSBA Hospital. Some of them were later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where seven more died during treatment.
The shipbreaking yard, owned by Ziri Subedar Group, witnessed a similar incident on September 16 last year, when eight workers were burnt in an oil tank explosion.
In another incident at the SN Corporation Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda on September 7, 2024, 12 workers were injured. Six of them later died after reportedly inhaling leaked gas.