DHAKA, Bangladesh — A building in Bangladesh housing several factories that make clothing for European and U.S. consumers collapsed into a deadly heap Wednesday, five months after a horrific fire at a similar facility prompted leading multinational brands to pledge to work to improve safety in the country’s booming but poorly regulated garment industry.
The death toll rose to 149 as rescuers worked overnight to find people trapped in the rubble. Army Brig. Gen. Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said “many” people are still trapped and a clearer picture of the rescue operation would be available Thursday afternoon. More than 1,000 workers were injured. Soldiers, paramilitary police officers, firefighters and other citizens clawed through the wreckage, searching for survivors and bodies.
Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, head of the National Fire Service, said an initial investigation had found that the Rana Plaza building violated codes, with the four upper floors having been constructed illegally without permits.
“There was a structural fault as well,” Khan said, noting that the building’s foundation was substandard.
The collapse followed a fire in November that killed 112 workers making shorts and sweaters for export. That led importers, including Wal-Mart, to vow to do more to ensure the safety of factories where goods they sell are manufactured. The building collapse Wednesday revived questions about the commitment of local factory owners, Bangladeshi officials and global brands to provide safe working conditions.
Bangladeshi news media reported that inspection teams had discovered cracks in the structure of Rana Plaza on Tuesday. Shops and a bank branch on the lower floors closed immediately, but the owners of the garment factories on the upper floors ordered employees to work Wednesday, despite the safety risks.
Labor activists combed the wreckage Wednesday afternoon and discovered labels and production records suggesting that the factories were producing garments for major European and U.S. brands. Labels were discovered for the Spanish brand Mango and for the low-cost British chain Primark.
Activists said the factories had also produced clothing for Wal-Mart, the Dutch retailer C&A, Benetton and Cato Fashions, according to customs records, factory websites and documents found in the rubble.
International attention was focused on labor conditions in Bangladesh five months ago, with the fatal fire at Tazreen Fashions, a garment factory near Dhaka. That fire brought pledges from government officials and global companies to tighten safety standards.
On Wednesday, however, many labor rights advocates said the collapse of Rana Plaza showed a continued failure to take meaningful action.
“The front-line responsibility is the government’s, but the real power lies with Western brands and retailers, beginning with the biggest players: Wal-Mart, H&M, Inditex, Gap and others,” said Scott Nova, executive director of Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights organization. “The price pressure these buyers put on factories undermines any prospect that factories will undertake the costly repairs and renovations that are necessary to make these buildings safe.”
Bangladesh is the world’s second-leading garment exporter, trailing only China. The industry has grown rapidly in the past decade, as rising wages in China have pushed many global clothing companies to look for lower costs elsewhere.
