Sitakunda police lodged a case Sunday against the owner of a ship breaking yard and five contractors after an explosion aboard a scrap oil tanker killed four workers the day before.

Sitakunda police sub-inspector Azam Khan told bdnews24.com the case was filed against Md Israfil, the owner of Rahim Steel and Ship Breaking Yard, and labour contractors Md Alam, Mohammad Alam, Zafar Ahmed, Md Yusuf and Abu Saleh, for failing to ensure safety of workers.

The explosion aboard the out of commission oil tanker killed four ship breakers and injured 10 others in Sitakunda on Saturday.

Sitakunda police chief Monirul Islam told bdnews24.com a gas cylinder exploded at around 10:30am while workers were engaged in dismantling the ship.

Three of the four deceased were identified as Selim Hossain, 32, Rana Babu, 25 and Rabiul Mandal, 26. Police said the fourth body was so badly burnt it could not be immediately identified.

'CATEGORY RED' CONCERNS

Ship breaking is flagged as a 'Category Red', or 'extremely hazardous', industry in Bangladesh.

It produces thousands of tonnes of scrap metal used by re-rolling mills, but serious concerns prevail over work safety as well as environmental standards.

There are around 87 yards in Sitakunda, where about 30,000 people are employed in hazardous working conditions, making it one of the largest ship-breaking centres in the world.

Workers dismantle ships by hand without proper machinery, protective wear or training. The yard owners also compel the beakers to take apart ships without clearing them of toxic materials.

Source: bdnews24.com

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