The fire which broke out for the second time during the removal of oil from the accident-stricken ship Sagar Nandini-2 in Sugandha river in Jhalkathi was brought under control after about 11 hours. Several units of the fire service were able to bring the fire under control at around 5:30 am on Tuesday morning after trying all night from Monday evening.
Fire Service and Civil Defense Station Officer Md. Jhalkathi. Shafiqul Islam confirmed this information. He said that the cause of the second fire is under investigation. The interior of the ship was destroyed by the explosion. There are still about four lakh liters of oil stored in this ship.
An explosion occurred on a ship kept in Sugandha river near Kheyaghat of Jhalkathi city municipality yesterday on Monday around 6:30 pm. A policeman named Shaukat (35) was burnt in this explosion and Md. Another person named Sharif (40) was admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka that night. Sharif is an employee of an oil tanker named Sagar Nandini-4 engaged in the task of removing oil from the stricken vessel. They were first admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal. Among them, Shaukat, a policeman, suffered 16 percent burns and Sharif’s body nearly 55 percent. District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Afruzul Haque Tutul confirmed this information by citing doctors. 11 policemen under the leadership of Sub-Inspector (SI) of Jhalkathi Sadar Police Station, Ganesh Chandra Gharami, were on duty in the accident-prone ship. Three of them are members of the Naval Police. 14 people including 9 policemen were injured in the blast. Most of them jumped into the river in panic and were injured by the loud noise. The injured persons are admitted to Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital. Dwip (32), another policeman who was burnt in the blast, has been admitted to Jhalkathi Sadar Hospital from Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital as he is recovering a little.
On Monday morning, smoke was still coming from the ship. The fire service personnel continued to sprinkle water. In the explosion, the iron sheet of the inner part of the ship was destroyed and hollowed out. Exhausted fire service members working all night.
It is to be noted that a fire broke out in a fuel oil vessel named Sagar Nandini-2 near the government oil depot on the bank of Sugandha River at around two o’clock last Saturday. A total of nine crew members were on board. Among them, the bodies of four people missing in the fire have been recovered. A loud explosion occurred again on Monday evening during the removal of oil from the same ship. An eyewitness named Palash, a volunteer said, since yesterday afternoon, the work of removing fuel oil from the fire-damaged Sagar Nandini-2 ship to another ship named Sagar Nandini-4 was going on. Around 6:30 in the evening, the ship caught fire due to a loud explosion. At this time, some people are seen jumping into the river. Later, the local people rescued the injured and sent them to the hospital. According to fire service and civil defense sources, about 10 units from different areas including Khulna, Barisal, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali were joined with the unit of Jhalkathi fire service in the night to control the fire. Special foam is used with water to control the fire. The fire was brought under control after an overnight effort. Eyewitness SI Ganesh Chandra Gharami, who is undergoing treatment at Jhalkathi Sadar Hospital, said, “While we were on duty, the area along the Sugandha river was shaken by the explosion in the ship in the evening. At this time the driver of the trawler carrying us jumped into the river in panic. Later, the policemen were also injured while jumping into the river. Two were burnt in the fire. District Civil Surgeon HM Zahirul Islam said that many of the injured people are in a state of panic and fear. They are being treated well. Many will be able to recover quickly and return home. District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Afruzul Haque Tutul said that the two burnt victims admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka are being searched for all the time. The injured persons admitted in Jhalakathi have been given medical treatment. On the other hand, on Monday afternoon, the coordinator and spokesperson of the 14 groups, the chairman of the standing committee related to the Ministry of Industry, Alhaj¦ Amir Hossain Amu MP, will inspect the accident-prone ship. A source confirmed that Minister of Power and Energy Ministry Mahdoi could be with him at this time.
