BANGLADESH: More bodies are pulled out from underneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangladesh, with relatives mourning the loss of their loved-ones

Record ID: 216388

  • Title: BANGLADESH: More bodies are pulled out from underneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangladesh, with relatives mourning the loss of their loved-ones
  • Date: 6th May 2013
  • Summary: SAVAR,BANGLADESH (MAY 06,2013) (REUTERS) COFFIN BOXES PILED UP AT A SCHOOL GROUND RELATIVES SITTING COVERED BODIES ON THE GROUND MAN LOOKING AT BODIES ADDRESS WRITTEN ON A COVER AS RESCUE WORKERS FOUND IDENTITY CARD IN THE VICTIMS POCKET MEN CARRYING COFFIN WOMAN STANDING HOLDING CLOTH OVER THEIR MOUTHS VARIOUS OF RELATIVES CRYING BODIES ON THE GROUND WOMAN BEING COMFO
  • Embargoed: 21st May 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bangladesh
  • Country: Bangladesh
  • Topics: Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA53OMWO7S3NDBYEZMQKRHU4PEW
  • Story Text: More bodies were pulled out from the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangladesh on Monday (May 6) in the country's worst industrial disaster.
    As of Sunday (May 5) the death toll had climbed to at least 622.
    Coffins were lined up in a school and covered bodies were laid out on the ground as relatives gathered at the site of the disaster, some holding up photographs of family members. Many broke down in tears.
    Authorities have found it increasingly difficult to identify bodies and are using ID cards found on them or even their mobile phones to do so.
    The owner of the Rana Plaza building, Mohammed Sohel Rana, was arrested after a four-day hunt as he appeared to be trying to flee across the border to India.
    He is one of nine people being held in connection with the April 24 disaster, which the government has blamed on the building's faulty, illegal construction.
    Rana and the others in police custody could face the death penalty if found guilty of murder or mass manslaughter.
    None of the accused has commented publicly on the accusations.
    The government has blamed the owners and builders of the eight-storey complex for using shoddy building materials, including substandard rods, bricks and cement, and not obtaining the necessary clearances.
    The poor construction meant the building was unable to support the generators running inside, the Export Promotion Bureau, a wing of the Commerce Ministry, said in a report.
    The bureau has recommended paying compensation to the victims' families and inspecting the safety of other factories, a senior official with knowledge of the report told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
    The disaster, believed to have been triggered when the generators were started up during a blackout, put the spotlight on Western retailers who use the impoverished South Asian nation as a source of cheap goods.
    About 4 million people work in Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China. Some earn as little as $38 a month, conditions Pope Francis has compared to "slave labour".
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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