The police say a tragedy was avoided. The factory did not run night shifts. When the flames erupted workers were already out of the building. After the collapse of the Rana Palza, the government closes 18 factories, declared uninhabitable.

Dhaka (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A fire blazed through a garment factory in an industrial district of Dhaka. The initial toll is seven dead. The tragedy took place two weeks after the collapse of the Rana Plaza that claimed the lives of over 900 people and according to the police today's toll could have been much higher. The fire broke out after working hours, when nearly all the workers had left.

The factory belongs to Tung Hai Group, a major clothing exporter, and it does not do night shifts. The victims include the owner of the establishment and other employees.

The collapse of the Rana Plaza, considered one of the worst tragedies in the country, has put the spotlight on the speculation and the exploitation of cheap labor in the textile mills that work for large Western brands. Declared unfit and unsafe for some time, the Rana Plaza housed five garment factories where thousands of people worked, with 24-hour shifts, for a few dollars a day. After the protests that brought tens of thousands of workers to the streets last May 1 the government of Bangladesh has closed 18 factories for safety reasons.

 

• BANGLADESH
• factory
• textile
• fire
• slave
• labour
• working
• conditions