Dhaka: Agencies
The collapse of an 8-story building led to the worst disaster ever to hit Bangladesh’s industrial sector, with the death toll exceeding 800 after dozens more bodies were found among the rubble of the building, which housed textile factories andcollapsed two weeks ago near Dhaka, as a result of the owner’s use of substandard materials.
Army spokesman Lieutenant Mir Rabi stated that “the death toll has now reached 803,” including 790 people found under the rubble and 13 who died in hospitals from injuries sustained in the accident. A general overseeing relief operations said the death toll is likely to rise.
The Rana Plaza building, located 30 kilometers from Dhaka, housed factories producing clothing for Western companies, notably the British firm Primark and the Spanish firm Mango.
Earlier reports indicated the building had eight stories, but an official in charge of the investigation mentioned nine stories.
More than 3,000 workers were on the premises when the building collapsed about two weeks ago; cracks had been noticed in the building the night before the accident. Authorities announced that 2,437 people had survived the accident.An official involved in the investigation confirmed that vibrations from large generators may have caused the building to collapse.