8 killed in toxic gas leak at Chattogram shipyard

Eight workers died after toxic gas spread at Ferdous Steel Shipbreaking Yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram on Friday morning.

Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost official Nurul Alam Ashek confirmed the matter. The gas leak occurred while workers were carrying out housekeeping tasks on a ship at the yard.

Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mahbubul Hasan said, “I have received news of 10 workers falling ill and heard that some of them have died.”

At the Sitakunda shipyards, abandoned ships are dismantled and cut primarily to collect iron for rod production. There have been long-standing allegations that this work is conducted in unsafe environments.

According to statistics from the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), at least three workers were killed and 38 were injured in various accidents at Sitakunda shipyards between July and December 2025.