At least 70 dead in Dhaka collapse

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 24 April 2013 | 19.12

24 April 2013 Last updated at 08:04 ET
Bangladeshi civiliant volunteers assist in rescue operations after an eight-storey building collapsed in Savar,

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Efforts are under way to rescue those beneath the debris

At least 70 people have been killed and many more are feared trapped after an eight-storey building collapsed on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, government officials say.

Frantic efforts are under way to rescue those beneath the debris. At least 200 people were injured by the collapse.

The army is helping with the rescue operation in the Savar area.

Building collapses are common in Bangladesh where many multi-storey blocks are built in violation of rules.

The eight-storey building contained a clothing factory, a bank and several other shops. It collapsed during the morning rush hour.

Many people have gathered near the scene looking for friends and relatives.

Dhaka resident Tahsin Mahmoo described the scene as a looking like a "war zone" to the BBC, adding that appeals had been put out for citizens to donate blood.

The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Dhaka says that it is not yet clear what caused the collapse, but local media reports said a crack was detected in the block on Tuesday.

Rescue workers are using concrete cutters and cranes to dig through the rubble, our correspondent says.

One doctor at a nearby hospital said it "could not handle" the volume of casualties coming in.

"I have not seen so many patients being brought in like this before," Dr Imrul Hasan Warsi told the BBC.

Local police chief Mohammad Asaduzzaman told the Reuters news agency that factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after the crack was detected.

Police told local media that the rear of the building had suddenly started to collapse on Wednesday morning, and within a short time the whole structure - except the main pillar and parts of the front wall - had caved-in, triggering panic.

Continue reading the main story

Anbarasan Ethirajan BBC News, Dhaka


Grieving relatives have been anxiously waiting outside the collapsed building in Savar. Rescue teams have been working frantically using concrete cutters and cranes digging through the rubble to pull people out. The army has also been deployed in the rescue operation.

It is still not clear how many people are trapped inside, although local media say there are hundreds. A doctor at the local hospital told the BBC that their services had been stretched.

The reason for the collapse is not yet known. The latest incident has once again raised questions about safety standards in the country's thriving garments industry. However, factory owners say safety standards have improved significantly in recent years.

Only the ground floor of the Rana Plaza in Sava remained intact after the collapse, officials said, as army and fire service rescuers equipped with concrete cutters and cranes dug through rubble to pull out trapped people. Many onlookers also joined the effort using their bare hands.

An opposition strike planned for Wednesday has been called off to aid the rescue effort, local media reports say.

Survivors have described their terror as the collapse began.

"I was in the cutting section of the garment factory and suddenly we heard a huge noise and the building collapsed within a few minutes," a garment worker told private Somoy TV.

"I removed the rubble and came out with two other workers. But at least 30 other workers in my cutting section were still unaccounted for," he said.

In November, a fire at a garment factory in a Dhaka suburb killed at least 110 people and triggered a public outcry about safety standards in the industry.

The last major building collapse was in 2010, when a four-storey building collapsed in Dhaka, killing at least 25 people and injuring several others.

In 2005, there was a building collapse near the site of Wednesday's incident, killing 64 people.

Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing competitively priced clothes for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour.

Following November's fire, Western retail chains that buy from factories in Bangladesh urged factory owners to improve safety standards, our correspondent reports.

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