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A technical committee has entered the LNG carrier vessel where nine workers died in a toxic gas incident at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Chattogram's Sitakunda, Bangladesh, four days after the event. The committee, composed of professors from Buet and representatives from private ship inspection agencies, is investigating the cause of the fatalities.

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The committee members used advanced safety equipment while entering the vessel this morning.

During their inspection, committee members identified a cut section of a ballast tank as the suspected point of leakage for the toxic gas. ASM Shafiul Alam Talukder, director general of the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Board (BSRB), stated that preliminary findings indicate hydrogen sulphide gas may have escaped through this opening. The team utilized advanced safety equipment during their entry into the vessel.

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According to the preliminary findings, a small section of a ballast tank had been cut up, and the team suspected that hydrogen sulphide gas escaped through that opening.

Ashraf Uddin, assistant director of the Department of Environment’s Chattogram office, reported that initial air, soil, and chemical samples collected from the site did not detect hydrogen sulfide, suggesting it may have dissipated in the water or air over the four days since the incident. The investigation will also examine intact tanks for any residual presence of the gas. No case has been filed yet, though police opened an unnatural death case. The Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association plans to provide Tk 10 lakh to each of the nine deceased workers' families, with a portion to be paid through the labor court and the remainder via the district administration.

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No hydrogen sulphide was detected in the samples. Four days have passed since the incident, so the gas may have dissolved in tidal water or dispersed into the air. We also need to check whether hydrogen sulphide is present in the intact tanks.