Workers in Sitakunda died from toxic gas, not bomb blast
Several posts have circulated on Facebook claiming that 3 to 7 Hindus were killed in a bomb blast in Sitakunda. The posts also mention that the death toll could rise further. However, Dismislab’s verification found the bomb blast claim to be false. Nine workers died after toxic gas leaked at a Sitakunda shipyard. The deceased included followers of both Hinduism and Islam.
A photocard was posted from a Facebook profile on August 14 with the headline, “3 Hindus killed in bomb blast in Sitakunda, death toll may rise further” (verbatim).
Photocards, written posts and videos carrying the same claim were circulated from several personal Facebook profiles, pages and groups (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
The exact image was posted from another Facebook page on the same day with the caption, “Bomb blast targeting Hindus in Sitakunda, seven Sanatanis killed, death toll likely to rise further.”
The post was also spread from several Facebook pages, accounts and groups (1, 2, 3, 4) with the same claim.
To verify the claim, Dismislab conducted a reverse image search. The search found a video report by Prothom Alo. A report published on August 14 said seven workers had died from toxic gas at a shipbreaking factory in Bhatiary, Sitakunda. Several others also suffered injuries and received treatment at hospitals. The report opened with footage of relatives of the deceased workers crying, which closely matched the image used in the circulated posts.
A keyword search also found news reports about the incident published by several media outlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). According to these reports, a sudden gas leak inside a ship released excessive carbon monoxide while workers were cutting a scrap ship at a shipbreaking factory in Sitakunda, Chattogram. According to those concerned, the toxic gas killed nine workers and injured six others. The injured workers are receiving treatment at different hospitals in Chattogram. The incident occurred on Friday morning (August 14) at Ferdous Steel, a shipbreaking factory in the Bhatiary area of the upazila.
The victims included both Hindus and Muslims.
