Shipbreaking worker succumbs to burn injuries after 5 days

A senior shipbreaking worker died early yesterday -- five days after sustaining burn injury in a fire incident at the engine room of a ship at Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram.

The incident occurred at N R shipbreaking on February 6. Deceased Md Jashim (40), from Kumira area of Sitakunda upazila used to work at the yard.

The name of the ship could not be known. It is a container ship weighing 12,000 tonnes.

Hamidur Rahman, director of N R Shipbreaking told The Daily Star that the worker died while he was cutting a pipe.

"We sent him to Dhaka for better treatment and tried our best to save the worker's life," he added.

Mohammed Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Metal Workers Federation told The Daily Star that Jashim was a senior cutter at the yard.

He was working at the engine room of the ship to cut a pipe, but it had clogged gas inside. A fire broke out as the gas came into contact with the spark of the cutting machine. Jashim was severely injured.

Md Manik, younger brother of the victim told The Daily Star that his brother was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital on February 6.

Quoting doctors, he said his elder brother had 45 percent burns on his body, prompting doctors to send him to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery where he died early yesterday.