Nine killed in ship breaking yards this year

Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), an NGO that works with the yard workers, organised a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night on DC Hill premises in memory of those victims.

YPSA also published the list of the deceased at the programme with details, also citing the reasons behind the accidents.

Resident Editor of the daily Prothom Alo Abul Momen, Bureau Chief of the daily Bhorer Kagoj Omar Kaiser, YPSA Coordinator Mahbubur Rahman and Programme Officer Mohammad Ali Shahin spoke at the programme.

The speakers alleged that workers have long been forced to work in risky conditions at different ship breaking yards.

"Civil society members and environmentalist groups have regularly expressed their concern with such risky and unsafe working atmosphere but the authorities concerned and yard owners turned a deaf ear", they alleged.

The deceased are Didarul Alam, 20, of Foyjun Shipyard (January 25); Mohammad Mati, 27, of GL Shipyard (July 4); Mohammad Malek, 32, and Mizanur Rahman, 28, of Harun Steel Shipyard (July 7); Jahangir Alam, 42, and Abul Kalam, 25, of Royal Shipyard (July 12); Hafizur Rahman, 20, of Sajil Shipyard (July 16); Kabir Ahmed, 30, of Namreen Enterprise Shipyard (July 20) and Abul Kalam, 30, of Rahmania Shipyard (December 4).

Shahin observed that the number of casualties might be higher since many of the accidents inside the yards remain unreported.