Textile Mill Fire Kills 54 in Bangladesh
By OSMAN GANI MANSOOR : Associated Press Writer
Feb 24, 2014 : 3:30 pm ET
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh — Emergency workers recovered 48 bodies from the charred debris of a textile factory Friday, raising the death toll from the mill fire to 54, officials said.
The fire that broke out late Thursday in southeastern Bangladesh also injured more than 150 workers, doctors said.
About 1,000 workers, many of them women, had been inside the mill about 135 miles southeast of the capital, Dhaka.
The factory had one main exit and workers had to scramble through a narrow stairway or jump from windows, a fire official said.
The fire may have been ignited by sparks from an electric tool, a fire investigator said. Firefighters took about three hours to control the blaze.
Police said they had detained two mill officials for questioning.
Dozens of garment workers and human rights activists marched through downtown Dhaka demanding better safety measures and compensation for the victims.
The factory made clothes and textiles mostly for export to the United States, Tayeb said.
Textiles are Bangladesh’s main export industry, worth $5 billion a year. The industry employs about 2 million workers, mostly women, and exports mainly to Europe and North America.
Many of the country’s estimated 2,500 textile factories are built in violation of building codes and safety standards.
At least 95 workers were killed and scores more injured in garment factories last year.
