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Toll rises to 47 in Bangladesh factory fire
The death toll in a garment factory fire near the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka has risen to 47 and may climb further, police said on Monday.
The death toll in a garment factory fire near the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka has risen to 47 and may climb further, police said on Monday.
They said that 37 factory workers, mostly women, died at the site of
Saturday's fire, while 10 succumbed to their injuries in hospitals.
''The (death) count may go up further as some of the victims are still in critical condition,'' said a police officer.
Fire swept through the four storey Chowdhury Knitwear Factory at Narsingdi, 60 km (40 miles) from Dhaka, on Saturday night, trapping more than 250 workers, police and witnesses said. The fire exit and main gate had been locked on the outside, they added.
Many workers leaped out of the windows, but others died of smoke inhalation and burns in a panic to escape, firefighters said.
The government on Sunday ordered an investigation into the tragedy, distressingly frequent in impoverished Bangladesh, where working conditions and safety standards are often poor. Nearly 200 have died in garment factory fires since 1998. Clothing is Bangladesh's biggest export, accounting for about 80 percent of total annual export earnings. Nearly 200 have died in garment factory fires since 1998. Clothing is Bangladesh's biggest export, accounting for about 80 percent of total annual export earnings.
Some 3,000 garment factories in Bangladesh employ nearly two million workers, more than 90 percent of them women.
''The (death) count may go up further as some of the victims are still in critical condition,'' said a police officer.
Fire swept through the four storey Chowdhury Knitwear Factory at Narsingdi, 60 km (40 miles) from Dhaka, on Saturday night, trapping more than 250 workers, police and witnesses said. The fire exit and main gate had been locked on the outside, they added.
Many workers leaped out of the windows, but others died of smoke inhalation and burns in a panic to escape, firefighters said.
The government on Sunday ordered an investigation into the tragedy, distressingly frequent in impoverished Bangladesh, where working conditions and safety standards are often poor. Nearly 200 have died in garment factory fires since 1998. Clothing is Bangladesh's biggest export, accounting for about 80 percent of total annual export earnings. Nearly 200 have died in garment factory fires since 1998. Clothing is Bangladesh's biggest export, accounting for about 80 percent of total annual export earnings.
Some 3,000 garment factories in Bangladesh employ nearly two million workers, more than 90 percent of them women.
Some 3,000 garment factories in Bangladesh employ nearly two million workers, more than 90 percent of them women.
Bureau Report Bureau Report