Worker dies after 8 days in ICU at Sitakunda shipbreaking yard

A worker who sustained severe injuries in an accident at a shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chattogram, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital today (23 August).

The incident comes just days after 10 workers lost their lives to toxic gas exposure at another facility in the same industrial belt.

The deceased was identified as Md Alauddin, 40, a fitter at Baraka Ship Breaking and Recycling Industry in Shitalpur, Kumira Union. He was the son of the late Nurul Islam and a resident of Ward 1 in Kumira.

Alauddin passed away at around 7:30am at Treatment Hospital in Panchlaish, Chattogram, police and Industrial Police officials confirmed. He had been receiving care in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for eight days after falling ill while working aboard a vessel on 15 August.

Industrial Police Superintendent Mahmuda Begum told The Business Standard that Alauddin reportedly became dizzy and fell while working on the ship.

“He was undergoing treatment at the hospital for about a week before passing away this morning. We have learned that he had a pre-existing heart condition and had previously suffered a stroke,” she said.

Because the family raised no complaints or allegations, the body was handed over to his relatives without an autopsy, she added.

However, as the fatality stemmed from an occupational incident, an unnatural death case will be filed, according to the Industrial Police.

Officer-in-Charge Mohinul Islam of Sitakunda Model Police Station also confirmed the death.

However, officials in charge of management at Baraka Ship Breaking and Recycling Industry could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to local sources, Alauddin was working on a scrap vessel at the Baraka yard when he collapsed and sustained serious injuries from the fall. Co-workers rescued him and rushed him to the hospital.

The fatality has renewed safety concerns across Sitakunda’s shipbreaking sector, coming shortly after a major disaster in the area.

On 14 August, nine workers died from toxic gas inhalation inside a vessel at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Yard in Bhatiari. The death toll rose to 10 on 19 August when another injured worker, Idris Ali, succumbed to his injuries at National Hospital.

Officials suspect the concentration exceeded 100 ppm at the time of the leak. The disaster at Ferdous Steel prompted multiple government inquiries and drew sharp scrutiny over gas-testing protocols, emergency procedures, and safety enforcement across local yards.

While Alauddin’s death appears to have involved underlying health issues, authorities are investigating the circumstances of his fall to determine whether workplace safety lapses contributed to the incident.