At least 24 people died after an explosion at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday.
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About 50 people, mostly workers, suffered injuries when flames tore through Tampaco Foils Limited’s factory in BSCIC industrial area of Tongi yesterday.
The fatal fire on Saturday morning triggered a collapse of the five-storey building.
‘There were about 100 people inside when the fire broke out, ‘ Mohammad Nayan, a worker assisting with rescue efforts, told reporters.
He said around 75 people were supposed to work the night shift.
Almost 70 people were injured in the fire triggered by explosion, said the official.
“Police have filed a case in relation to the fire in which 31 people have so far died”, said Farid Ahmed, deputy inspector general of the country’s factory inspection department.
“If this information is correct, the question for Nestle and BAT is why were they producing at a factory where basic safety precautions, like inspection of boilers, were not being taken”, the worker rights groups say.
Labour rights groups urged the Bangladesh government and Western companies to work harder to protect the safety of workers in their supply chains.
Tampaco Foils, which owns the five-storey factory, packages various items for several worldwide brands, including Nestle and British American Tobacco.
“We are now unaware of the precise cause of the fire, but have been informed that theBangladesh government has set up a formal investigation”.
Garments are a vital sector for Bangladesh and its low wages and duty-free access to Western markets have helped make it the world’s second-largest apparel exporter after China.
Fatalities in Bangladeshi factories – which mostly produce clothing, packaging and textiles – are common due to a lax implementation of regulations.
At least 13 people died in a fire at a plastics factory Dhaka a year ago.
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A fire at Tazreen Fashion factory in late 2012 killed at least 112 workers.
