The divers of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Bangladesh Coast Guard on Sunday recovered the body of a crew who went missing after the explosion in the oil tanker Sagor Nandini-II in Sugandha River in Jhalakathi.
The deceased was identified as Abdus Salam Hridoy, 28. He was the greaser of the ship.
His body was discovered in the engine room of the crippled vessel around 3pm.
As of now, the supervisor of the oil tanker, Masud Rahman Belal, driver Muhammad Sarwar, and crew member Ruhul Amin Khan remain missing, said BIWTA Joint Director Muhammad Salim.
Operations have been ongoing since morning to clear the oil from the damaged tanker said Salim adding that two tankers, Mridula-1 and 2, are presently engaged in the collection and unloading process.
Over 400,000 liters of petrol and diesel have been recovered from the oil tanker.
The ship, though damaged, is stable and poses no immediate sinking threat, thus allowing divers to continue the search for the remaining crew, he said.
“We have deployed 2 divers to search for the missing crews,” he added.
The joint director further said that the same tanker, en route to Padma Oil Company's depot at Chandpur on December 25, had sunk on the Meghna River of Bhola following a collision. It was retrieved seven days later with assistance from Sagor Nandini-III.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe body has been formed over the incident. The committee is headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Jhalkathi Ruhul Amin and is expected to deliver a report within the next three days.
BIWTA Additional Director of the Department of Naval Conservation and Management Abdur Rahim expressed concern over the ineffective safety equipment on the vessel upon primary inspection.
He said: "Despite the previous accident, we have now found that the safety measures on board were not adequate. The radar system in particular was non-functional, prompting us to recommend immediate corrective action."
Taifur Ahmed Bhuiya, engineer and ship surveyor of DG Shipping Barisal, said: "We will only ascertain the vessel's seaworthiness based on its registration details."