Garment Factory Blast In Bangladesh Claims 10 Lives

Dhaka, July 4 (IANS): A boiler room explosion at a garment factory in central Bangladesh has claimed atleast 10 lives and injured about 50 people. The search is on for more bodies which are expected to be under the debris, officials said on Tuesday.

The accident site was identified as the export-oriented textile factory Multifabs Limited, which employs nearly 6,000 people. The time of the accident is reported to be 7.00 p.m.

Due to Eid-Ul-Fitr Celebrations most of the employees were on leave at the accident time. "We found eight bodies on Monday and one in the morning (Tuesday) when we started removing the debris again," Gazipur Fire Service Assistant Deputy Director Akteruzzaman said.

"We are not sure if there are more bodies inside because no one could give a detailed account of any missing person," he was quoted as saying by Efe news.

Of the 50 injured, one person later died in the hospital, taking the deaths to 10, Akteruzzaman added.

"The factory was closed until Monday and we started the boiler only in the evening. One of the two boilers exploded within an hour of starting the operation in the evening," Multifabs Chairman and Managing Director Mohiuddin Faruqui said.

According to Faruqui, between 25 and 30 people were inside the factory at the time of the explosion, while many bystanders were also injured.

Gazipur district factory inspector Farid Ahmed said that the factory's licenses were all in order and that the reason for the explosion was yet unclear.

Last week, labour union organisations IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union announced the signing of a new agreement with more than 20 international textile companies to ensure safety in Bangladeshi factories, among other issues.

The sector has been under the spotlight over its working conditions since the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building in 2013, which left more than 1,100 dead and 2,500 others injured.