Jhalakathi oil tanker blast toll hits 4

News Desk  :
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of three more crew members following the explosion on the Shagor Nandini-2 oil tanker in Jhalakathi, taking the death toll from the disaster to four, according to the Coast Guard.

The bodies were found in a piece of the ship’s wreckage in the Sugondha River, according to Lt Shafayet Hossain, a spokesman for the Coast Guard. Divers found the first two bodies around 11 am on Monday and the third in the afternoon, reports bdnews24.com.
The body of the oil tanker’s Greaser, Abdus Salam Hridoy, was recovered from the ship’s engine room on Sunday. No more crew members are missing.
The dead have been identified as ship’s Greaserman Abdus Salam Hridoy, Master In-Charge Ruhul Amin Khan, Supervisor Masudur Rahman Belal and Driver Sarowar Hossain.

On Saturday, there was a sudden blast on the vessel, starting a fire. The families of the victims have been crowding the banks of the Sugondha River in a desperate bid for news of their loved ones. The air grew heavy with their tears and despair after the bodies were found.
Rescue operations will be called off soon, Lt Shafayet said.

At 2:20 pm on Saturday there was an explosion on board the vessel.
Five people burnt in the fire were rescued from the site in the wake of the incident, according to Jhalakathi police and district administration.
They were sent to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for treatment of critical burn wounds.
According to Jhalakathi police, the district administration, and the cook rescued from the disaster, nine crew members were aboard the vessel.
A section of the vessel was blown off by the blast and sank into the river water. The bodies were recovered from the wreckage by the BIWTA rescue ship Nirbhik on Monday.

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.