Bangladesh: Hundreds of factory workers are feared trapped under rubble after a nine-storey building collapsed near Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, survivors and witnesses said.
Rescuers dug out 15 bodies and pulled 58 people alive from the debris yesterday, but narrow roads leading to the site hampered efforts to bring in cranes to help remove concrete slabs.
Police and firefighters said the building collapsed yesterday at about 1am, just as many employees were working the night shift at a garment factory.
The army brought in sniffer dogs and heavy equipment, including cranes, to the site by yesterday afternoon. "We will work through the night and expect to complete the rescue operation by tomorrow," one rescue official said.
Anxious relatives joined rescuers searching for survivors in the flattened remains of the building at Palashbari, 30km from Dhaka.
"In a few minutes the entire structure crumbled like a house of cards," a witness told a private television channel.
A massive pile of bricks and concrete slabs is all that remains of the building. Rescuers and relatives stood helplessly on top, some calling for loved ones.
"We suspect up to 500 people are under the debris. It was a packed night shift . . . and dozens may have died already," a survivor said.
Security officer Abdul Hye said at least 250 people had been working the night shift at Shahriar Fabrics.
Prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia flew to Palashbari in the afternoon and was visibly shocked at the enormity of the destruction. "I want you to mobilise all strength and resources to speed up the rescue efforts and not to let anyone die due to negligence," she said.
Police said the collapse was probably triggered by a boiler explosion at the factory. An official of the Dhaka Development Authority, said the factory had been built on marshland without planning permission. - (Reuters)