SAVAR: Dozens of workers were found alive yesterday as they huddled in the wreckage of a collapsed garment factory bloc in Bangladesh, a rare success for rescuers who have pulled out 250 bodies.
In an announcement greeted by wild applause from thousands of relatives at the scene, an army spokesman initially announced that 40 survivors had been discovered together in a room, but the figure was later revised to 24.
Screams filtering through the cracks in the concrete suggested more survivors were awaiting help, but a steady stream of bodies saw the recorded death toll almost double yesterday and hundreds remain unaccounted for.
The collapse of the building on Wednesday on the outskirts of the capital is the worst industrial accident in the country’s history.
It prompted new criticism of Western brands who were accused by activists of placing profit before safety by sourcing their products from the country despite its shocking track record of deadly disasters.
Hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues yesterday as flags flew at half mast and a national day of mourning was held.
“The death toll is now 250,” Moshiuddowla Reza, a senior police officer of Dhaka district, said from the disaster site, adding more bodies were being recovered and that most of those who died were female garment workers.
Safety problems and poor working conditions plague the textile industry in Bangladesh, the world’s second-biggest clothing exporter after China.
Only British low-cost fashion line Primark and Spanish giant Mango have acknowledged having their products made in the collapsed factory bloc, while a host of brands including Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour are investigating.
Italian fashion line Benetton denied having a supplier in the building but a local workers’ group provided documents showing apparent orders from the company in August and September last year.
The company did not reply to repeated requests for comment.
Survivors said the building developed visible cracks on Tuesday evening, but factory bosses had demanded staff return to the production lines despite a police evacuation order.
One manager for the New Wave Styles company, one of the five manufacturers in the building, told how the owner had consulted an engineer but then ignored his warnings.
“Those who’re involved, especially the owner who forced the workers to work there, will be punished,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told lawmakers. “Wherever he is, he will be found and brought to justice.”
Babul Akhter, head of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said that the factory owners would likely escape justice. “Garment entrepreneurs are above the law here,” he said.
AFP
