Chittagong shipyard explosion: Death toll rises to 5

Two more people who were severely burned in the Sitakunda shipyard explosion, passed away early Saturday, bringing the death toll from the incident to five.

The deceased have been identified as Jahangir Alam, 48, and Barkat Ullah, 23.

They died while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.

Both men lived near the shipyard where the explosion occurred.

Dr Tarikul Islam, a resident doctor at Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute, confirmed the deaths, saying: “Jahangir Alam and Barkat Ullah died early Saturday morning while receiving treatment. Jahangir had suffered burns on 70% of his body, while 60% of Barkat's body was burned. So far, five out of seven patients admitted to our hospital have died.”

Three others—Abul Kashem, 39, Anwar Hossain, 45, and Al-Amin, 23—are still undergoing treatment, with their conditions described as critical.

The explosion occurred on September 7 at a shipyard in the Sonai Chhari area of Sitakunda, Chittagong, when workers were cutting a ship.

Some 12 people were burned in the incident. Among those, eight were rushed to the emergency department of Sheikh Hasina National Burn Institute, where Ahmadullah, who had burns on 90% of his body, died en route.