Photos of collapsed Building in Bangladesh

There are more images on the link that Panda has posted.

It is a major supplier for Primark, apparently.

Iris wrote:It is a major supplier for Primark, apparently.

I heard that on the radio, Iris. Apparently, cracks had been noticed in the walls of the building and were ignored. There was a lot of praise for the rescuers going in to pull people out.

Jeez! that's horrendous!
Anyone would be lucky to escape that alive.

Bangladesh: Cracks In Building Were Ignored


The death toll following the collapse of an eight-storey
factory building - which contained a Primark supplier - rises to 145.


6:14am UK,
Thursday 25 April 2013



Video: The owners of the building had
been warned it might be unsafe
Enlarge

• 
  
  An eight-storey building has collapsed on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi
  capital of Dhaka, killing dozens of people.
  
  1 of 12
  
• 
  
  Civilian volunteers joined the rescue operation.
  
  2 of 12
  
• 
  
  Rescuers carry a garment worker who was trapped in the building.
  
  3 of 12
  
• 
  
  Crowds gathered to hear news of their relatives.
  
  4 of 12
  
• 
  
  A rescuer enters the building through a hole.
  
  5 of 12
  
• 
  
  Another trapped worker is saved.
  
  6 of 12
  
• 
  
  Anxious relatives waiting for news of their loved ones.
  
  7 of 12
  
• 
  
  The collapsed building contained a shopping centre.
  
  8 of 12
  
• 
  
  A relative holds up a picture of a missing clothing worker.
  
  9 of 12
  
• 
  
  Six of the building's eight storeys crumpled.
  
  10 of 12
  
• 
  
  
  
  11 of 12
  
• 
  
  
  
  12 of 12
  

PreviousNext
Gallery: Bangladesh Building
Collapse
Enlarge

• 
  
  
  
  
  Cracks were noticed two days ago in a building that collapsed in
  Bangladesh, killing at least 145 people and injuring more than a thousand
  others, it has been claimed.
  
  Survivors say they were made to carry on working in the eight-storey block
  despite concerns about its safety.
  
  The building, in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, housed at least
  four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.
  
  The high street giant Primark has confirmed that one of its suppliers
  occupied the second floor of the building.
  
  Bosses at the retailer say they were "shocked and saddened" by the
  collapse.
  
  In a statement released on the company's website, a Primark spokesman said:
  "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar,
  near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved.
  Thousands gathered on the streets where the
  building collapsed
  "Primark has been engaged for several years with NGOs and other retailers to
  review the Bangladeshi industry's approach to factory standards. Primark will
  push for this review to also include building integrity."
  
  Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said late on Thursday
  that many people were still trapped in the building.
  
  The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112
  people and underscored the unsafe conditions faced by Bangladesh's garment
  workers.
  
  Workers said they had hesitated to enter the building on Wednesday morning
  because it had developed such large cracks a day earlier that it even drew the
  attention of local news channels.
  
  Just hours later the building came tumbling down.
  Hundreds of factory workers were trapped
  inside the building
  Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the site, weeping and searching
  for family members.
  
  Searchers worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of
  concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those
  pinned inside the building.
  
  "I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry. We can't leave
  them behind this way," said fire official Abul Khayer.
  
  Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave
  assurances that the cracks in the building were no cause for concern, so
  employees went inside.
  
  "After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly," Mr Rahim
  said.
  
  The next thing he remembers is regaining consciousness outside.
  
  On a visit to the site, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters
  the building had violated construction codes and that "the culprits would be
  punished."
  

======================================================
This is the price these Countries pay for our demand for cheap goods. It is appalling and time an investigation was made into the well being and safety of Suppliers. Primark and other Stores could do much by sending over Personnel to liaise with the Suppliers and threaten to take their business elsewhere if they don't meet required standards . I'm sure the British public would not objecct to paying a bit more to ensure working conditions for the workers is adequate.

Dhaka Factory: 40 Pulled Alive From Rubble


Dozens are found alive in a room of the collapsed
Bangladesh factory block where clothing is made for stores including
Primark.


3:43pm UK,
Thursday 25 April 2013 NY Times

More than 230 have died and many more are thought to be
trapped

• 
  
  
  
  
  Forty people have been found alive in one room of a collapsed
  factory block in Bangladesh, TV reports are saying.
  
  Loud cheers broke out among the crowd of thousands of people massing at the
  scene near the country's capital Dhaka when the news broke.
  
  More than 230 people are so far known to have died in Wednesday's disaster at
  the factory which supplied several British store chains including Primark.
  
  The rescue came as it was reported that the owner of one of the garment
  factories which ignored order to stop working had fled.
  
  Earlier it emerged that officers ordered the building to be evacuated the day
  before it collapsed but clothing factories that worked there continued
  operating, ignoring police instructions.
  
  The order was made after deep cracks became visible on Tuesday.
  
  Managers of a bank that also had an office in the building, evacuated their
  workers and suspended their operations.
  
  The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also asked
  the factories to suspend work starting on Wednesday morning, just hours before
  the building fell.
  
  "After we got the crack reports, we asked them to suspend work until further
  examination, but they did not pay heed," said Atiqul Islam, the group's
  president.
  
  Survivors described hearing a loud crack just before the eight-storey
  building collapsed, with each level pancaking on top of those below.
  
  Around 3,000 worked in the building and at least 1,000 are said to have been
  injured. Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said late on
  Thursday that many people were still trapped in the building.
  
  The building, in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, housed at least
  four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.
  
  The high street giant Primark has confirmed that one of its suppliers
  occupied the second floor of the building.
  
  Bosses at the retailer say they were "shocked and saddened" by the
  collapse.
  
  In a statement released on the company's website, a Primark spokesman said:
  "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar,
  near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved."
  
  Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the site, weeping and searching
  for family members.
  
  Searchers worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of
  concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those
  pinned inside the building.
  
  Bangladesh's prime minister vowed that the garment factory owner who fled
  would be tracked down and punished.
  
  "Those who're involved, especially the owner who forced the workers to work
  there, will be punished," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told members of
  Bangladesh's parliament.
  
  "Wherever he is, he will be found and brought to justice," she added.
  
  Elsewhere in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their
  factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues.
  
  Some workers' leaders attacked western firms, who they accused of turning "a
  blind eye" while using Bangladeshis as "money-making machines".
  

Western Firms Feel Pressure as Toll Rises in Bangladesh




Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse
— Getty Images
Volunteers and rescue workers at the
collapsed building on Thursday. More
Photos »

By JULFIKAR ALI
MANIK, STEVEN GREENHOUSE and JIM YARDLEY


Published: April 26, 2013

• 
  

DHAKA, Bangladesh — As the search for survivors
continued on Friday in one of the worst manufacturing disasters in history,
pointed questions were being raised about why a factory building in Bangladesh
was not padlocked after terrified workers notified the police, government
officials and a powerful garment industry group about cracks in the walls.










Multimedia




Photographs

Death
Toll Rises After Building Collapse in Bangladesh








Related

• 
  Made
  in Bangladesh: Export Powerhouse Feels Pangs of Labor Strife (August 24,
  2012)
  
• 
  Made
  in Bangladesh: Fighting for Bangladesh Labor, and Ending Up in Pauper’s
  Grave (September 10, 2012)
  

Related in Opinion

• 
  Editorial:
  Another Preventable Tragedy in Bangladesh (April 26, 2013)
  
  

Related in Opinion



Room for Debate



The
Human Cost of Cheap Clothing





Where does the responsibility lie when it comes to improving
safety standards in factories that produce affordable clothing, and what can be
done about it?




Connect With Us on
Twitter


Follow @nytimesworld for international
breaking news and headlines.

Twitter
List: Reporters and Editors







The New York Times


The collapse in Savar came five months after 112 garment
workers died in a fire, raising questions on safe conditions. More Photos
»


Readers’ Comments

Share your thoughts.

• Post a Comment »
  
• Read All Comments (4) »
  

As the death toll neared 300, the owner of the
collapsed building, the eight-story Rana Plaza, was in hiding, and the police
and industry leaders were blaming him for offering false assurances to factory
bosses that the structure was sound, leading to the decision to allow 3,000
workers return to their jobs.

Pressure continued to build on Western companies that
had promised after a
deadly fire in November to take steps to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi
factories that make the goods the companies sell. Activists combing through the
rubble in Savar, outside the capital, Dhaka, have already discovered labels and
documents linking the factories to major European and American brands, like the
Children’s Place, Benetton, Cato Fashions and Mango.

The PVH Corporation, the parent company of Calvin
Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Tchibo, a German retailer, have endorsed a plan in
which Western retailers would finance fire safety efforts and structural
upgrades in Bangladeshi factories — although they first want other companies to
sign on.

Walmart has refused to join that effort. But in
January, it announced that it would demand that factories quickly correct any
safety violations and would dismiss any contractor that used unapproved or
unsafe factories. Two weeks ago, Walmart pledged $1.8 million to establish a
health and safety institute in Bangladesh to train 2,000 factory managers in
fire safety.

On Thursday, the Bangladeshi authorities opened an
investigation into the collapse, while the police filed negligence charges
against the building’s owner, Sohel Rana, his father and the owners of four
factories in the building. Bangladesh’s High Court also issued a summons for Mr.
Rana, who is involved in local politics with the country’s ruling party, the
Awami League. He has been ordered to appear in court on Tuesday.

The immediate question was why the garment factories
on the upper floors of the Rana Plaza building were operating when the structure
collapsed Wednesday morning. Industry leaders continued to point to Mr. Rana and
what they said were his false assertions that the structure was safe. “Based on
that, they ran the factories yesterday,” Mohammad Atiqul Islam, president of the
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers
and Exporters Association, said in a telephone interview. He said his staff
had told factory owners on Tuesday to keep the factories closed until the
building was inspected. “We had very clearly told the owners not to open.”

But analysts said that based on past experience, there
would be plenty of blame to go around, with harried factory owners scrambling to
fill orders under tight deadlines imposed by their Western customers.

“Even in a situation of grave threat, when they saw
cracks in the walls, factory managers thought it was too risky not to work
because of the pressure on them from U.S. and European retailers to deliver
their goods on time,” said Dara O’Rourke, an expert on workplace monitoring at
the University of California, Berkeley. He added that the prices Western
companies paid “are so low that they are at the root of why these factories are
cutting corners on fire safety and building safety.”

Numerous Western apparel companies issued statements
acknowledging that they had used factories in the building and expressing their
condolences.

Primark, a British retailer, confirmed that it was
using a factory on the building’s second floor and said it was “shocked and
deeply saddened by this appalling incident.” Primark said it had been engaged
for several years with nongovernmental organizations and other retailers “to
review the Bangladeshi industry’s approach to factory standards.”

Loblaws, a Canadian retailer that markets the apparel
brand Joe Fresh, said one factory produced a “small number” of Joe Fresh
garments. “We are extremely saddened” by the building collapse, Loblaws said in
a statement, adding, “We will be working with our vendor to understand how we
may be able to assist them during this time.”

• 1
  
• 2
  

Next
Page »

Julfikar Ali Manik reported from Dhaka, Steven Greenhouse from
==============================================
These Factories would never exist if it wasn't for the demand for cheap goods . At least Primark sell their clothes cheaply but the price of Hilfiger and Calvin Klein , M & S clothes must make them a huge profit. Couldn't these Companies have got together and at least paid for new buildings .

Bangladesh Tragedy: Building Owner Arrested


The owner of a factory complex that collapsed, killing at
least 362 people, is arrested on the border with India, a minister says.


10:30am UK,
Sunday 28 April 2013

A woman is pulled out alive from the rubble by rescuers
on Sunday

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  Rescuers in Bangladesh have called in heavy-lifting equipment to
  get to the trapped workers still trapped underneath the rubble of a collapsed
  eight-storey factory complex.
  
  A further nine survivors were found on Sunday - in addition to the 29 rescued
  alive yesterday.
  
  A government minister said the owner of the collapsed building has been
  arrested along the country's border with India.
  
  Jahangir Kabir Nanak said Mohammed Sohel Rana is being brought back to the
  capital Dhaka by helicopter.
  
  An announcement was also made by loudspeaker at the site of the collapsed
  building, where people cheered and clapped.
  Food is passed down to trapped workers through
  a hole
  Mr Rana's wife has already been detained but her husband has not been seen
  since the disaster.
  
  He reportedly had the approval to construct five floors but added three more
  illegally.
  
  Hopes of finding more people trapped under the mound of broken concrete and
  metal are now starting to fade with more than 900 people still missing.
  
  Rescue teams have been working round-the-clock since the building toppled to
  the ground on Wednesday.
  
  Hundreds of relatives of missing workers have been massing at the site in the
  hope of finding their loved ones.
  Rescuers at the scene of the
  disaster
  "The chances of finding people alive are dimming, so we have to step up our
  rescue operation to save any valuable life we can," said Major General Chowdhury
  Hassan Sohrawardi, coordinator of the operation.
  
  Up until now, search teams including soldiers and firefighters, have been
  using hand tools, fearing the use of cranes would dislodge masonry and
  jeopardise the chances of survival of those still trapped alive.
  
  And while the number of survivors has been growing, so has the death
  toll.
  
  At least 362 people have been confirmed dead in the deadliest tragedy to hit
  Bangladesh's clothing industry, which is worth $20bn (£13bn) annually and is a
  mainstay of the economy.
  
  On Saturday, police took six people into custody including three factory
  bosses as well as two engineers involved in approving the design of the Rana
  Plaza building in Savar.
  
  It housed five clothing factories, employing a total of 3,122 staff.
  
  It is not known how many workers were inside the structure when it collapsed,
  however, some 2,500 survivors have been accounted for.
  
  The three factory bosses arrested included Bazlus Samad, managing director of
  New Wave Apparels Ltd, Mahmudur Rahman Tapash, the company chairman, and Aminul
  Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd.
  
  Wednesday's tragedy has sparked protests about the poor working conditions of
  workers who toil for as little as £25 a month to produce clothing for top
  international brands.
  
  High street giant Primark - and Spain's Mango - have confirmed their products
  were made in the block.
  
  Protesters held a demonstration outside the Primark's flagship store in
  central London on Saturday to demand compensation for the workers who were
  killed.
  ===============================
  This really is a terrible, terrible tragedy, which could have been avoided. The News this morning said there are several dead bodies and possibly still survivors , but the Rescue Team say they will soon have to make a decision regarding the Building which is unsafe
  

Dhaka building collapse: Hopes for rescue fade





"There's a man in there. He's been trapped for five days."
Andrew North goes inside the Dhaka ruins as time runs out.

Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

• In pictures: Rescue hopes fade
  
• Can clothes industry change?
  
• Relatives' shattered lives
  

Rescue work on a collapsed building
in Bangladesh has entered a sixth day, but officials say they no longer expect
to find any survivors.

Heavy lifting gear is now being used to raise slabs of concrete at the Rana
Plaza garment factory, where at least 380 died after Wednesday's collapse.

A fire disrupted rescue work on Sunday.

The owner of the building is facing charges of negligence, along with two
government engineers who were involved in approving its design.

Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

Oh Allah! How am I going to feed and raise my
daughters?”

End Quote Victim's widow

• Shattered
  lives
  

On Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the site
for the first time, as well as visiting some of the survivors in hospital.

Bangladesh news site BDNews24 said she had assured the injured they would
receive help from the government.

At least 3,000 are estimated to have been in the Rana Plaza building when it
collapsed. About 2,430 are now known to have survived but hundreds are dead or
missing.

On Sunday night, rescuers working deep inside the rubble were told to leave,
as cranes were brought in to lift heavy blocks of fallen concrete.

"We are giving the highest priority to saving people, but there is little
hope of finding anyone alive," army spokesman Shahinul Islam told
reporters.
Rubble fire
Fire brigade chief Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan said crews had seen bodies lying
on the ground inside, but that "no-one was seen alive".

Continue reading the main story
What Bangladesh's media are saying


An editorial in
the Daily Star says it is "unfortunate" that Bangladeshi garment
manufacturers "have convoluted the idea of 'competitive' and 'cheap'. And while
the producers have been trying to be so, it is the workers that have been
bearing the brunt of this in terms of poor wages and through their lives."

Also in the Daily Star,
Hameeda Hossain writes: "Even as we mourn the dead, whose poorly paid labour
contributed to profits from Bangladesh' export garments, it is time to question
why the state has repeatedly ignored violation of laws, why regulatory
mechanisms fail to monitor systemic failures, why political patronage confers
impunity for corporate crimes."

Muhammad Q Islam writes for
bdnews24 that the disaster could be a sign Bangladesh needs to rethink its
economic model: "Despite gains, we still have a 47 million strong army of very
poor people who will be willing to take all the risks that culminate in injury
and death, both at home and abroad, to improve their lot. Our economic policies
explicitly rely on continued availability of this work force to fuel our
economic growth."

Fariha Sarawat says in the
Dhaka Tribune that while buyers should take some moral responsibility for
such disasters "the state aids and abates this hostile environment by repeatedly
siding with the interests of the manufacturers, instead of the workers - it has
failed to punish a single manufacturer whose negligence and greed have resulted
in the death of workers".

Rescue co-ordinators said that work with heavy-lifting
gear would be done carefully to avoid mutilating bodies trapped under the
debris.

On Sunday afternoon, a fire halted rescue work at the building. The presence
of clothing in the garment factory may have worsened the blaze, correspondents
say.

Four firefighters were taken to hospital.

The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan says rescuers had been trying to free a trapped
woman for a number of hours when the fire began, but they later reported she had
not survived.

Building owner Mohammed Sohel Rana was arrested on Sunday near the Indian
border.

He had gone on the run after the eight-storey building collapsed, with
several thousand workers inside.

According to the head of the team which tracked down Mr Rana, he had hidden
in several places since disappearing.

"He went into hiding in different areas and changed locations regularly.
Besides Dhaka, he stayed in two or three districts outside of the city," said
Mokhlesur Rahman of the Rapid Action Battalion

"He reached the border with India. There was a possibility that he could have
managed to escape into India within a very short space of time.

"Based on a tip-off, we hurriedly flew to Jessore in a helicopter. He was
arrested at the checkpoint at Benapole in Jessore."

Bangladeshi TV later showed Mr Rana in handcuffs after being flown back to
Dhaka by helicopter.

Local government minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak announced the arrest by
loudspeaker at the site of the collapse, to cheers from rescue workers.

Continue reading the main story

• In pictures: Dhaka rescue hopes
  fade
  

A total of six people, including three owners of
factories operating in the building, have now been arrested.

Anger at the building's collapse has triggered days of violent protests in
Dhaka.

Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing
cheap clothing for major Western retailers that benefit from its widespread
low-cost labour.

But the industry has been widely criticised for its low pay and limited
rights given to workers and for the often dangerous working conditions in
garment factories.

Textile industry: Bangladeshi blood on EU shoppers’ hands?

3 May 2013NRC Handelsblad Amsterdam

Tools

• Comment7
  
• 
  
• 
  

Shared 38 times in 10 languages

• Text larger
  
• Text smaller
  
• Print
  
• Send
  

Tom Janssen
The death of more than 400 people in a Bangladeshi clothing factory once again highlights the appalling conditions in factories where western manufacturers produce clothes. The EU is right to pressure local authorities, but should also probe other countries.

NRC HandelsbladA disaster that is increasing in scale every day: the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in the city of Savar in Bangladesh, which according to the most recent reports has cost more than 500 lives. The count started, more than a week ago, at 87 dead and 1,000 injured. Another ominous figure now making the rounds is the number of people missing: 1,000, although this includes double counts.
The eight-storey complex, three of which were illegally added, housed different businesses, including a textile factory. The employees had told their boss about cracks in the walls, but he forced them to show up for work – otherwise he would withhold part of their meagre wages.
Importers have responsibility

The owner of the building was arrested. This is only right as he has primary responsibility, but this is far from the end of the matter. For example, it would have been a good deal better if the authorities had taken preventative action to deal with the precarious state of the complex. And not just there, but elsewhere in the country too, as the collapse of this building was not an isolated incident. Abominable working conditions all too often result in victims in Bangladesh.
The drama has a flipside – the price of clothing in some western shops. This means T-shirts or bikinis that only cost a few euros. This should make the consumer think, but responsibility cannot be passed on to the consumer. Rather, it lies with the importers [such as Mango and Benetton], who should better inform themselves as to the conditions in which their clothing is manufactured.
The European Union is Bangladesh’s biggest trading partner. The threat by foreign policy chief [Catherine] Ashton and Trade Commissioner [Karel] De Gucht this week in a statement might help. They warned Bangladesh that it may lose the advantages which it enjoys as a developing country, such as the exemption from import duties in the EU.
Income threat for Bangladesh

The problem with this kind of measure, and certainly with a boycott, is that it could cause Bangladesh to lose its most important source of income. In addition, the work will then be continued in another poor country, under the same, if not worse, conditions.
The EU rightly asks Bangladesh to comply with the internationally recognised standards of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). But this must also be demanded of other countries. In less diplomatic wording the angry workers who took to the streets in Bangladesh are demanding the same. It is the Bangladeshi authorities who must put an end to these scandals

Bangladesh building collapse death toll passes 1,000


The death toll from the collapse of a garment factory complex in Bangladesh
rose past 1,000 on Friday as dozens more corpses were found stacked in a ruined
stairwell where victims sought shelter.








...At least 82 people have died
and 700 are injured after a eight-storey building housing several garment
factories collapsed on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital Photo: REUTERS/Andrew
Biraj





By AFP

9:54AM BST 10 May 2013




Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam, the army officer overseeing the recovery
operation on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, said the toll now stands at
1,041, making it one of the world's deadliest industrial disasters.


Alam said many of the bodies were little more than skeletons, 17 days on from
the implosion of the nine-storey Rana Plaza compound at Savar, and the stench
from under the rubble suggested that many more were still to be located.



"We have found a huge number of bodies in the stairwell and under the
staircases. When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be
safe under the staircases," he said.


"Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies."



^{Rescue workers amongst the rubble of the
collapsed Rana Plaza building (Reuters)}



Related Articles

• 
  Bangladesh building collapse death toll passes
  1,000
  10 May 2013
  
• 
  Primark linked to Bangladesh factory fire
  
  09 May 2013
  
• 
  Bangladeshi Islamist sentenced to death over 1971
  war
  09 May 2013
  
• 
  Fire rips through Bangladesh clothes factory
  
  09 May 2013
  

More than 3,000 workers were on shift on the morning of April 24 when the
building suddenly caved in.

Most were earning around £25 a month job to make clothing for Western brands
such as Italy's Benetton, Britain's Primark and the Spanish label Mango.

Survivors who are now without work say the levels of compensation are
inadequate and will not even cover the medical costs for victims who have
suffered serious injuries, including amputations.

Efforts to identify victims are being hampered by the decomposition of
bodies, although some were found with mobile phones in their pockets or identity
cards around their necks.

^{Relatives of missing workers from the
collapsed factory in Savar, near Dhaka, hold pictures of their family members
(AP)}

Scores of relatives still awaiting news of their loved ones again gathered at
the site on Friday, desperate to at least accord them a proper burial in their
home village rather than have them buried in an anonymous communal grave.

Most of the victims were female garment workers and they included many
teenagers, despite it being illegal for factories to hire anyone under 18.

Among those unaccounted for was 15-year-old Brishti Akter, whose mother
Rozina remained hopeful that the teenager's body would be recovered after
spending much of the last fortnight at the disaster scene.

"She had a key tied to her waist and she was wearing olive coloured shalwar
kameez and a henna-coloured tunic," Rozina Akter told AFP at Savar on Friday,
while clutching a photo of Brishti.

"I'm not leaving here without her. She was my life."

Recovery workers, drawn from the ranks of the army and fire service, are
having to wear masks and use air freshener as they pick through the ruins.

The preliminary findings of a government probe have blamed vibrations from
four giant generators on the upper floors for triggering the collapse.

The building's architect told AFP he designed the structure to house a
shopping mall and offices, not factories.

Police have arrested 12 people including the plaza's owner and four factory
bosses for forcing people to work on the day of the disaster, even though cracks
appeared in the structure the day before.

The collapse was the latest in a string of disasters to blight the textile
industry, with a factory fire last November killing 111 workers.

A fire at a textile factory in Dhaka on Thursday killed eight people,
including its owner.

Bangladesh is the world's second-largest apparel maker and the industry
accounted for up to 80 per cent of annual exports last year.

But it has a shocking safety record and Western retailers have been
threatening to pull out unless authorities come up with a credible programme to
raise standards in the 4,500 factories. Disney has already done so.

Benetton chief executive Biagio Chiarolanza however said his company did not
intend to pull out of Bangladesh, insisting the welfare of workers in poor
countries is best served by providing jobs.

"It's not the solution to go outside from Bangladesh or to think in the
future we can leave Bangladesh," Chiarolanza told The Huffington Post.

"I spent some period of my life in this part of the world, and I believe – I
really believe – Benetton and other international brands can help these
countries improve their condition."

Edited for Telegraph.co.uk by Barney Henderson

Share 4

Facebook 3

Twitter 1

Email

LinkedIn 0

Bangladesh

• 
  News »
  
• 
  World News »
  
• 
  Asia »
  

Related Partners

• 
  
  The best way to transfer money
  overseas
  

In Bangladesh





Can consumers improve Bangladesh safety?

How amazing is this!

http://news.sky.com/story/1089218/bangladesh-survivor-found-after-17-days

wjk wrote:How amazing is this!

http://news.sky.com/story/1089218/bangladesh-survivor-found-after-17-days

Just heard that on Radio 4. Absolutely wonderful! If we're delighted, what must that woman's family be like right now?

They must feel that a miracle has happened, Anna.
She looks pretty well too, on Sky news.

That really is a miracle!!! Noticce how slow these Firms who used this Factory to manufacture their clothes have rushed forward to offer help to the survivors, this comment from Benetton just about sums it up
Benetton chief executive Biagio Chiarolanza however said his company did not
intend to pull out of Bangladesh, insisting the welfare of workers in poor
countries is best served by providing jobs.
Did any of these Firms visit Bangladesh to ensure workers could rely on the building they worked in , to keep their jobs!!!!

Panda wrote:That really is a miracle!!! Noticce how slow these Firms who used this Factory to manufacture their clothes have rushed forward to offer help to the survivors, this comment from Benetton just about sums it up
Benetton chief executive Biagio Chiarolanza however said his company did not
intend to pull out of Bangladesh, insisting the welfare of workers in poor
countries is best served by providing jobs.
Did any of these Firms visit Bangladesh to ensure workers could rely on the building they worked in , to keep their jobs!!!!

I think Primark has offered compensation to families.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Panda wrote:That really is a miracle!!! Noticce how slow these Firms who used this Factory to manufacture their clothes have rushed forward to offer help to the survivors, this comment from Benetton just about sums it up
Benetton chief executive Biagio Chiarolanza however said his company did not
intend to pull out of Bangladesh, insisting the welfare of workers in poor
countries is best served by providing jobs.
Did any of these Firms visit Bangladesh to ensure workers could rely on the building they worked in , to keep their jobs!!!!

I think Primark has offered compensation to families.

I read that and it is a good gesture, and have nothing against Primark because they sell their clothes cheaply. It's the Designer Label clothes who have shown no initiative. Couldn't they all get together to donate for a new building and a regular monitoring of how workers are treated, it is in their interests after all.

Bangladesh building collapse survivor's family say they had given her up for
dead


The family of the young woman found alive after 17 days trapped in the
rubble of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh said on Saturday they had given her up for
dead.















0
TelegraphPlayer_10051026

Tropical Storm Mahasen strikes southern Bangladesh





Sanjoy Majumder reports from a building site meant to offer
protection to families in the cyclone's path

Continue reading the main story
Related Stories

• Rohingya boats sink off west Burma
  
• Cyclone Mahasen maps: Predicting the path of
  storm
  
• Q&A: Communal violence in Burma
  

A tropical storm has lashed coastal
areas of Bangladesh, killing 12 people, destroying thousands of huts and forcing
up to a million people to flee.

Officials had prepared for a cyclone, but the storm, called Mahasen, weakened
considerably before making landfall.

The storm hit Patuakhali district on Thursday with heavy rain and wind of up
to 100km/h (60mph).

Early reports suggest Muslim Rohingya living in camps on both sides of the
Burma border were spared the worst.

The United Nations had warned that 8.2 million people were at risk from
Mahasen in Bangladesh, Burma and north-east India.

Several Indian states issued storm alerts and warned people to take
precautions against severe weather conditions.

The storm weakened over the Bay of Bengal, however, and forecasters say it is
likely to dissipate within 24 hours.




Loudspeakers on trucks have been issuing warnings in Cox's
Bazar
Centres crowded
The Bangladeshi government said it had evacuated 956,672 people from coastal
areas to more than 3,200 cyclone shelters.

Officials broadcast warning messages before Mahasen hit.

Airports in Chittagong and the resort town of Cox's Bazar were closed, and
Chittagong's port also remains closed, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in
Chittagong.

The Bangladeshi authorities earlier raised the danger level to seven out of
10 for low-lying areas around Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.

The cyclone covered more than 175km in nine hours before hitting the coast,
Bangladesh's Meteorological Department said.

A storm surge destroyed thousands of huts and caused flooding in coastal
areas.

All schools, colleges and some hotels have been declared cyclone shelters,
and most were packed overnight.
'Race against
time'
In Burma, there were fears for tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims living
in camps in low-lying areas of Rakhine state.

They were displaced by ethnic violence last year and many were reluctant to
move from the camps.

One refugee, Hla Maung, said he had lost his mother and two young daughters
during the clashes between Muslims and Buddhists last year, and would not move
from the camp.

"I lost everything. I don't want to go anywhere. I'll stay here. If I die, I
want to die here," he said.

Burmese Planning Minister Tin Naing Thein said that in all, more than 166,000
people had been relocated.

In the event, the storm changed course and appears to have caused only minor
damage in Burma.

Cyclone Mahasen earlier hit Sri Lanka, causing floods and mudslides that
killed at least seven people, according to the country's Disaster Management
Centre.

At least 50 Rohingya Muslims drowned on Tuesday when boats evacuating them
from the path of the cyclone capsized off western Burma.

Retailers Agree Bangladesh Factory InspectionsA factory collapse that killed 1,129 people in April galvanised brands to look more closely at their suppliers.7:50am UK, Monday 08 July 2013 Rana Plaza workers were told to ignore obvious defects before its collapse
EmailLeading names in European retail have backed plans for co-ordinated inspections of factories in Bangladesh, in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the building collapse that killed 1,129 people in April.

The collapse of Rana Plaza, a factory built on swampy ground outside Dhaka, ranked among the world's worst industrial accidents and galvanised brands to look more closely at their suppliers.

The new accord led to the creation of a team of inspectors to evaluate fire, electrical, structural and worker safety in factories supplying signatory brands.


Crowds gathered when news of the collapse spread on April 24

In a report published on Monday, the implementation team said the brands now had to provide full details of the Bangladesh factories from which they source goods - the first time such data would be collected or shared in such a comprehensive way.

The world's two biggest fashion retailers, Zara-owner Inditex and H&M, have agreed to accept legal responsibility for safety at their Bangladesh factories.


The scale of the disaster overwhelmed rescuers

But a number of US chains, including Asda parent firm Wal-Mart, Gap, Macy's, Sears and JC Penney have shunned the deal, saying that it gives labour unions too much control over ensuring workplace safety and have proposed a non-binding initiative.

Under the accord, every factory will undergo an initial inspection within the next nine months, with repairs initiated where necessary.


Relatives were desperate for news on their loved ones

"Brand signatories are responsible to ensure that sufficient funds are available to pay for renovations and other safety improvements," the report said.

Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer and one of the accord's backers, said last month that it had stopped sourcing clothes from a Bangladesh site because of safety concerns.


Some were lucky to make it out of the building alive

European, Bangladeshi and US officials will meet in Geneva on Monday for talks aimed at improving safety conditions and discussing the country's trade benefits, which the EU has threatened to suspend without greater action from the Bangladesh government.

Bangladesh has pledged to improve safety, but it has not offered new money to relocate dangerous buildings.

An estimated 3.6 million people work in Bangladesh's clothing sector, employing mostly women on wages as little as £30 a month.

Tax concessions offered by Western countries and the low wages paid by the manufacturers have helped to turn Bangladesh's garment exports into a £12.7bn a year industry, with 60% of clothes going to Europe.

Related Stories