Two killed as oil tanker catches fire

Two crew members of an oil tanker were killed after a fire broke out in the engine room yesterday morning.

Nizam Uddin, 40, and Ruhul Amin Alamgir, 45, were killed when their vessel was at a private jetty on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli in Chattogram. Their three other colleagues were injured.

There was a blast in the engine room of MT Iravati-1 at Super Petro Chemical Jetty around 6:30am. It happened when the crew was unloading its condensate cargo, said Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Newton Das of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Chattogram.

Three fire engines rushed to the spot to douse the fire.

Three tugboats, including one from Bangladesh Navy, rushed to help in putting out the fire, said Omar Faruk, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).

The fire was doused around 9:00am, said DAD Newton. He said the quick response from all helped bring the situation under control fast. He said there were several other tankers nearby.

He added that they recovered two bodies from the engine room and rescued the injured three and sent them to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.

Monir, one of the injured, was released after primary treatment while Shahab Uddin, 60, and Sufian, 48, were admitted to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Department of CMCH.

Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, head of the unit, said condition of two was critical. Both of them sustained around 95 percent burns and had smoke inhalation injuries.

There was no report of any spillage at the site and vessel movement remained smooth at the channel, said the CPA secretary.