March 23rd, 2006

Following the dismantling of a British warship at a Gadani ship breaking yard, a huge amount of dumped asbestos has been discovered. The discovery of the dumped asbestos was made in the coastal area of Lasbella in Balochistan, and was found dumped in plastic bags during a survey of the area around the yard.

Reports had been made by locals in the area with regards to the discovery of many green turtles along the shore, and locals also reported that they had spoken to workers from the yard who had allegedly told them that the bags had fallen from trucks while in transit when being removed from the area.

Authorities are said to have commented that the usual procedure when a ship is to be dismantled is for a thorough inspection and evaluation to be carried out before the dismantling takes place.

However, the authorities added that although they were aware that a vessel was coming in for dismantling and that it contained quantities of some chemical, they were unsure of the name of the vessel as well as when and where it was dismantled.