page_title: 2014 Sundarbans oil spill
section_title: Casualties and losses
hierarchical_section_title: 2014 Sundarbans oil spill / Casualties and losses
caption_attribution_description: English: The oil Tank
context_page_description: The 2014 Sundarbans oil spill was an oil spill that occurred on 9 December 2014 at the Shela River in Sundarbans, Bangladesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The spill occurred when an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying 350,000 litres of furnace oil, was in collision with a cargo vessel and sank in the river. By December 17, the oil had spread over a 350 km² area. The oil spread to a second river and a network of canals in Sundarbans, which blackened the shoreline. The spill threatened trees, plankton, and vast populations of small fish and dolphins. The spill occurred at a protected mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins. By 12 January 2015, 70,000 litres of oil had been cleaned up by local residents, the Bangladesh Navy, and the government of Bangladesh.
context_section_description: Seven crew members of the sunken ship managed to swim ashore, but the captain of the ship, Mokhlesur Rahman, died, and his body was recovered a few kilometers away from the spot where the ship sank. Experts estimated that ৳1,000,000,000 was lost as a result of the sinking of the oil-tanker. The residents of the surrounding area are at a health risk. 
  The government of Bangladesh told the local residents to collect the oil and sell it to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. The local oil collectors faced health risks and various skin diseases, including hair fallout if furnace oil mixed with water contacts a person's face or hair.
caption: Salvaged oil tanker
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