Officials said that Bangladesh fire fighters, after hectic efforts of eight hours, managed to put out the blaze, which was spreading to other adjacent buildings Saturday at around 3p.m. local time.
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Fifty more people were hospitalized after an explosion in the boiler room caused the fire, as almost 100 people were in the four-story building.
Emergency officials feared the death toll could climb after a fire broke out in the Tongi industrial zone about 20 kilometres north of the capital, Dhaka.
In 2013, the collapse of a factory building on the outskirts of Dhaka killed more than 1,100 garment workers.
The fire is under control, he said.
“What we have heard is that there were chemical stored on the ground floor”.
He said his ministry has made a decision to launch an investigation in all factories to check out their equipment. Twenty-three workers died immediately.
Working conditions have been described as notoriously poor, with little enforcement of safety laws, while overcrowding and locked fire doors are common.
According to its corporate website, Tampaco Foils’ customers include two of the world’s largest consumer products brands: Nestle and British American Tobacco.
The tragedy also sparked demands for foreign companies sourcing clothing from Bangladesh to take greater responsibility for the safety of their workers. Western brands subsequently improved safety standards and inspections for suppliers, dramatically reducing incidents of fire and other accidents at export-orientated factories. Low-priced manufacturing is the mainstay in Bangladesh, one of the world’s top garment exporters with a Dollars 27-billion industry.
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“We have launched investigation. the persons responsible for the accident, the owner of the factory in particular, will face stern legal action”, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said. It triggered a fire that killed at least 23 workers and injured dozens.
