Jhalakathi oil tanker blast death toll reaches four

The death toll from an explosion on an oil tanker in Jhalakathi has reached four, according to Bangladesh Coast Guard.

The vessel, Shagor Nandini-2, caught fire following an explosion in Sugondha River near Jhalakathi district town at 2:20 pm on Saturday. A section of the vessel was blown off by the blast and sank into the river water.

Nine crew members were aboard the vessel. Among them, five members burnt in the fire were rescued from the site. On Sunday, the body of the oil tanker’s Greaser, Abdus Salam Hridoy, was recovered from the ship’s engine room.

Lt Shafayet Hossain, a spokesman for Bangladesh Coast Guard, said divers found the bodies of ship’s Master In-Charge Ruhul Amin Khan, Supervisor Masudur Rahman Belal and Driver Sarowar Hossain in a piece of the ship’s wreckage in the Sugondha River on Monday.

The bodies were recovered from the wreckage by the BIWTA rescue ship Nirbhik. No more crew members are missing and rescue operations will be called off soon, reports bdnews24.com citing Lt Shafayet Hossain.

Padma Oil Company officials say that 400,000 litres of oil have been recovered from the vessel after the blast. The company has also formed a committee to investigate the incident.

The Shagor Nandini-2 tanker had suffered a hull breach six months ago, causing a massive oil spill in Bhola. Another vessel from the same company, the Shagor Nandini-3, suffered an explosion on Nov 12, 2021 in a similar spot on the Sugondha River. Six people were killed in the disaster.