A gas cylinder exploded on Sunday at a shipbreaking yard, owned by Shital Enterprise, located in Sitakunda Upazila, the Chittagong District of Bangladesh, injuring eight workers at the site who were preparing for work.
The workers are reported to be in critical condition, according to local media.
The explosion is said to have been caused by a leak from a gas cylinder that burst into flames after one of the workers lit up a cigarette in the enclosed area filled with gas, violating safety procedures. Other reports indicate that the fire erupted amid workers’ attempts to light up the gas filled area.
The blast comes in less than two weeks from another blast reported in August, when one worker died and two were injured in a gas pipeline explosion at a ship breaking yard in Chittagong district. The workers were cutting iron sheets inside the yard on August 25, when a gas cylinder burst and exploded.
The shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh are notorious for their lack of adhering to proper safety regulations as workers at majority of shipbreaking yards in the country are not equipped with the necessary safety gear resulting in various types of accidents, often fatal.
Between April and July 2015, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform documented at least six fatal accidents in the shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh.
Shital Enterprise has yet to respond to request for comment sent by World Maritime News.
World Maritime News Staff
-Source: worldmaritimenews.com