Western Companies Accused of ‘Turning Blind Eye’ in Bangladeshi Clothing Factory Collapse
Rescue workers look for trapped garment workers at the collapsed Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka April 26, 2013. The search for survivors from Bangladesh’s worst industrial accident stretched into a third day on Friday, with the death toll rising to 273 after the collapse of the building housing factories that made low-cost garments for Western brands.
Garment workers have taken to the streets in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, demanding better working conditions after the death of at least 280 people in a building collapse on Wednesday.
The building housed five garment factories and made clothing for several western labels.
On Tuesday a structural engineer had recommended the building be evacuated.
But factory owners forced their employees to return to work despite their complaints.
Zafar Sobhan, the editor of the Dhaka Tribune watched the demonstrations.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.