DHAKA, Apr 27: Two factory bosses were arrested in Bangladesh today, 72 hours after the deadly collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands, as the death toll rose to 325 and angry workers protested on the streets of the capital.
The owner of the eight-storey building that fell like a pack of cards around more than 3,000 workers was still on the run.
Police said two of his relatives had been detained to compel him to hand himself in, and an alert had gone out to airport and border authorities to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Officials said the Rana Plaza, on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, had been built illegally without the correct permits, and the workers were allowed in on Wednesday despite warnings the previous day that it was structurally unsafe.
The owner and managing director of the largest of the five factories in the complex, New Wave Style, surrendered to the country’s garment industry association during the night and they were handed over to police.
The factory, which listed many European and North American retailers as its customers, occupied upper floors of the building that officials said had been added illegally.
“Everyone involved – including the designer, engineer, and builders – will be arrested for putting up this defective building,” junior internal affairs minister Shamsul Huq told reporters.
Anger over the working conditions of Bangladesh’s 3.6 million garment workers – most of whom are women – has grown since the disaster, triggering protests and clashes with police. Hundreds were on the streets again on Saturday morning, smashing and burning cars.
(AGENCIES)
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