The oil spilled from three furnace oil-filled train wagons that plunged into Boalkhali canal in Chittagong is spreading across the Karnaphuli River.
The oil spill is posing a grave threat to the ecosystem of the river.
Environment department director in Chittagong Mokbul Hossain said: "The oil spill spread across 20 kilometre of the canal and Karnaphuli River."The environment department has started removing oil from the canal and Karnaphuli River using local methods in the afternoon.
However, the sunken wagons could not be salvaged till Saturday afternoon.
Bangladesh Railway (East) Divisional Railway Manager Mofizur Rahaman told the Dhaka Tribune that it would take a couple of days to rescue the engine.
The railway authorities are removing oil from the four wagons that were derailed on land, he added.
Oil supply to Dohazari picking power plant remained suspended following the incident. The supply will resume once the collapsed bridge is repaired. This could create power crisis in Chittagong.
However, the power plant manager Arifur Rahman said the oil supply hindrance would not affect power supply as they have oil stock for 10 to 15 days.
A locomotive and three oil wagons carrying about 90,000 litres of furnace oil derailed when the Number 24 bridge – locally known as Shakerpool – collapsed around 2pm Friday, causing spill thousands of litres of furnace oil.
The dilapidated bridge had been identified as a “death point” by the Bangladesh Railway (East Zone) eight years back. To prevent accidents, trains reportedly had to slow down to cross the bridge, which links Dohajaree of Chandanaish upazila and the port city.
Two three-member probe bodies have been formed to look into the incident, and were told to submit reports within three working days.
This is the second such incident in Chittagong’s Boalkhali upazila, where another oil-carrying wagon train derailed on July 31, 2013, from the Kalurghat bridge.
A similar derailing also took place near Fouzdarhat Railway Station in Chittagong’s Sitakunda upazila on July 7, 2014, when five wagons carrying furnace oil and a locomotive derailed. This resulted in a large amount of furnace oil contaminating the waters of Bay of Bengal.
