Bangladesh probing if factory’s 1 exit was locked

Related Photos

Bangladeshi garment worker Laiju stands inside the damaged Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory where a fire Saturday claimed the lives of seven of her female colleagues in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

Discussion

January 27, 2013

Bangladesh probing if factory’s 1 exit was locked

By Farid Hossain Associated Press Sun Jan 27, 2013, 11:07 PM CST

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s government is investigating allegations that the sole emergency exit was locked at a garment factory where a fire killed seven women.

The fire Saturday at the Smart Export Garment Ltd. factory occurred just two months after a blaze killed 112 workers in another factory, raising questions about safety in Bangladesh’s garment industry, which exports clothes to leading Western retailers. The gates of that factory were locked.

Government official Jahangir Kabir Nanak said Sunday an investigation has been ordered into the cause of Saturday’s fire and allegations that the emergency exit was locked.

Altaf Hossain, father of a garment worker killed in the latest fire, has filed a police case against three directors of the factory, accusing them of negligence involving the fire, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Sub-inspector Shamsul Hoque told The Associated Press. He said police had begun an investigation.

Doctors said most of the victims died from asphyxiation.

“When I tried to escape through the emergency exit I found the gate locked,” factory worker Raushan Ara was quoted as saying by Dhaka’s Prothom Alo newspaper.

The newspaper said at least 50 people were injured in a stampede triggered by the fire, and six of them were hospitalized.

Some of the injured jumped out of the windows of the two-story factory, survivors said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Monzurul Kabir said the bodies of seven women were recovered from the top floor of the factory. He said the factory was making pants and shirts, but could not provide further details.

Fire official Abdul Halim said it took firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control.

Volunteers joined firefighters in battling the fire as a large crowd gathered outside the factory awaiting word on the fate of relatives. Family members were seen crying near the body of a female worker named Josna, who was 16.

About 250 workers were working at the time of the fire, newspapers said.

It was not immediately known if the factory produced garments for any international companies. The owner was not available for comment, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the factory was not a member so it had no details.

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. alerted its global suppliers that it will immediately drop them if they subcontract their work to factories that haven’t been authorized by the discounter. The stricter contracting rule, along with other changes to its policy, come amid increasing calls for better safety oversight after the deadly fire in late November at a factory owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd. that supplied clothing to Wal-Mart and other retailers. Wal-Mart has said the factory wasn’t authorized to make its clothes.

Wal-Mart ranks second behind Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M in the number of clothing orders it places in Bangladesh.

Fires have caused more than 600 deaths of garment workers in Bangladesh since 2005, according to research by the advocacy group International Labor Rights Forum.

Text Only

State, national, world

Oklahoma Legislature OKs tax breaks for storm victims
The bill approved unanimously in the Senate on Friday also provides sales tax breaks for businesses that donate inventory to help storm victims and property tax credits for property that increases in value after it's rebuilt.

May 24, 2013 1 Photo
Update: Company says it has permits to cross span
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste blamed it on a tractor-trailer carrying a tall load that hit an upper part of the span. Motorists in the water walked away with minor injuries.

May 23, 2013 3 Photos
Birth control coverage, Hobby Lobby fight up for federal appeal
The Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts chain argues that businesses — not just the currently exempted religious groups — should be allowed to seek exception from access to the morning-after pill section of the health law if it violates their religious beliefs.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos 3 Stories
Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys
Gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders.

May 23, 2013 2 Photos
37-year-old man charged in Washington state ricin scare
A grand jury indictment accuses Matthew Ryan Buquet, 37, of mailing a death threat to U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle in Spokane on May 14.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Fairchild AFB still candidate for new planes
Fairchild was a finalist for the job, along with bases in North Dakota and Altus, Okla., which was chosen to be base for a training unit, according to Washington officials.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
3 southwest Kansas children found safe 5 miles from home
A citizen spotted them around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Liberal and took them to a business. They were reported to be tired and hungry.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
Urban renewal? Big U.S. cities showing strong growth
Prior to 2011, suburbs had consistently outpaced big cities since 1920, with the rise of the automobile.

May 23, 2013 1 Photo
House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval
Republicans said the measure was needed to ensure that the long-delayed pipeline, first proposed in 2008, is built.

May 22, 2013 3 Photos 2 Stories
Lawyer: Feds investigating Susan Powell case
Newly released police records show that Utah officials believe Josh Powell likely killed his wife in late 2009, and that his brother, Michael Powell, helped dispose of the body, but authorities felt they didn't have enough evidence to prove that theory in court.

May 21, 2013 1 Photo
More State, national, world Headlines

State, national, world

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Bangladesh probing if factory’s 1 exit was locked

Site Map

Contact Us