Fire destroys Bangladesh garment factory
- 10 years ago
A huge blaze destroys a garment factory outside the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.
There were no reports of casualties, but the fire gutted a ten-storey building at Gazipur and spread to adjacent buildings.
Around 18,000 people worked in the factory, but most had left before the fire erupted late Thursday night.
Local officials say the blaze was started by angry workers, who blamed police for the death of a colleague.
Garments are a vital sector for Bangladesh. The country's low wages have helped it become the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China.
But this factory fire is the latest in a string of accidents in Bangladesh.
And with global concern over poor safety standards, the government and manufacturers are under pressure to reform Bangladesh's 22-billion-dollar garment industry.
There were no reports of casualties, but the fire gutted a ten-storey building at Gazipur and spread to adjacent buildings.
Around 18,000 people worked in the factory, but most had left before the fire erupted late Thursday night.
Local officials say the blaze was started by angry workers, who blamed police for the death of a colleague.
Garments are a vital sector for Bangladesh. The country's low wages have helped it become the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China.
But this factory fire is the latest in a string of accidents in Bangladesh.
And with global concern over poor safety standards, the government and manufacturers are under pressure to reform Bangladesh's 22-billion-dollar garment industry.