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Search of collapsed Bangladesh factory called off, 73 dead
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-19 15:44
Rescuers called off their search of a collapsed Bangladeshi factory and said
the number of people confirmed killed in the disaster was 73.
"This morning we've called off the rescue operation as we have already
cleared the rubble of all nine floors," Brigadier General Nizam Ahmed, head of
the army rescue operation, said Tuesday.
Rescuers called off their search of a
collapsed Bangladeshi factory and said the number of people confirmed
killed in the disaster was 73. [AFP] | Since the building collapsed on Monday last week, rescuers have found 73
bodies in the ruins of the nine-storey building. Around 100 people were rescued
alive.
"There is no chance of finding any other dead bodies as the debris is cleared
down to the ground floor," said Ahmed.
Of the bodies, five still remained unidentified, he added.
The illegally-constructed nine-storey building housing Spectrum Sweater and
Knitting Industries at Palash Bari, 30 kilometres (18 miles) northwest of the
capital, was packed with night-shift workers when it collapsed in the early
hours of April 11.
Officials said some families had reported that their relatives were still
missing.
"But we told them that there was no way anyone could be in the rubble as
we've cleared it in the most meticulous manner," Salim Newaz, head of Dhaka fire
department told AFP.
He said some missing workers had been reported missing twice.
Surviors said the building collapsed after a boiler exploded, but officials
said the boiler had been discovered "intact".
Engineers who inspected the the collapsed buidling said poor quality building
materials and faulty construction of the building on low-lying marsh land
without proper foundations had led to its collapse.
Two government bodies have launched investigation into the accident,
officials said.
The garment industry is Bangladesh's biggest export sector, employing about
1.8 million lowly paid workers.
Poor safety standards in the industry frequently result in
accidents.
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