Dhaka building collapse: Factory owners arrested

Two owners of garment factories in the
building that collapsed on the outskirts of
the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka have been
arrested.
Mahbubur Rahman Tapas and Balzul Samad
Adnan are suspected of forcing staff to work in
the eight-storey building, ignoring warnings
about cracks.
At least 336 people are known to have died
after the Rana Plaza in the suburb of Savar
collapsed on Wednesday.
On Saturday morning, at least 24 more people
were rescued from the rubble.
Rescuers and volunteers, who worked through
the night, cheered as they were brought to
safety.
Earlier, rescue teams said they had located
about 40 survivors on the collapsed third and
fifth floors of the building.
Officials said they were working to extricate
the remaining survivors and had passed oxygen
cylinders and water to those still trapped.
More bodies of victims were also retrieved
overnight and on Saturday morning.
Some 3,000 people are believed to have been
working in the building at the time of the
collapse and about 600 are still missing. Rana
Plaza housed three garment factories, a bank
and a number of shops.
Watching the operation are hundreds of
relatives of those still missing, many clutching
photographs of their loved ones.
Abul Basar wept as he awaited news of his wife
who worked in one of the garment factories.
"My son says that his mother will come back
some day, she must return," he cried.
'Negligence'
Mr Tapas and Mr Adnan, the owners of the
New Wave Bottoms and New Wave Style
factories, were remanded in custody for 12
days by a court on Saturday. They were
arrested earlier in the day after turning
themselves in.
Deputy chief of Dhaka police Shyami
Mukherjee said the two were accused of
causing "death due to negligence".
The owners reportedly told their employees to
return to work on Wednesday, even though
cracks were visible in the building a day
earlier.
Three other clothing factories were reportedly
operating in the building.
Police are also questioning two municipal
engineers who are reported to have approved
the safety of the building a day before it
collapsed.
The owner of Rana Plaza, Mohammed Sohel
Rana, is said to have gone into hiding.
"Those who're involved, especially the owner
who forced the workers to work there, will be
punished," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told
lawmakers on Friday.
"Wherever he is, he will be found and brought
to justice," the prime minister added.
There is widespread anger in Bangladesh over
the disaster and fresh clashes between police
and protesters erupted again on Saturday.
Rescuers say many people are still trapped.
Picture: Andrew North
On Friday, police used tear-gas and rubber
bullets to break up crowds that had blocked
roads, set fire to buses and attacked textile
factories.
Protesters are demanding that the government
arrests all those responsible for the disaster
and improves conditions for garment workers.
Police are guarding other garment factories in
the area.
Bangladesh has one of the largest garment
industries in the world, providing cheap
clothing for major Western retailers that
benefit from its widespread low-cost labour.
But the industry has been widely criticised for
its low pay and limited rights given to workers
and for the often dangerous working
conditions in garment factories.
Primark, a clothes retailer with a large
presence in Britain, confirmed that one of its
suppliers was on the second floor of the Rana
Plaza, and said it would work with other
retailers to review standards.
Labour rights groups say the companies have a
moral duty to ensure their suppliers are
providing safe conditions for their employees.
UK fashion designer Katharine Hamnett has
called on fashion brands to insist on safer
working conditions for garment workers
internationally.
"The price of clothes may be low but they are
paid for with human lives," she is reported to
have said at the Vogue Festival in London on
Saturday.
"We should demand credible, certifiable
inspections on building structures and industry
standards."
She added: "This is a very dark day for the
clothing industry."
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Communist Party
and left-leaning Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal party
have called a general strike on 2 May to
demand punishment for those found
responsible for the deaths.