[h=3]By SYED ZAIN AL-MAHMOOD[/h]
Associated PressFirefighters and others battle a fire at a garment factory.
DHAKA, Bangladesh—At least 120 people died after a fire swept through an eight-story garment factory near the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, police and fire department officials said.
The blaze broke out at the Tazreen Fashion building in the Ashulia industrial area, 24 kilometers north of Dhaka, on Saturday night.
EPARelatives of workers try to identify burnt bodies outside the factory
Locals said panic-stricken garment workers jumped from windows as the fire spread and reported seeing charred bodies being brought out from the blackened building.
Rina Khatun, a worker who escaped the burning factory, said she had been able to get out because she was on the ground floor at the time of the blaze.
"Those who were on the top floors didn't have a chance," she said.
Some workers said the building's fire escape was blocked and guards had failed to open the main gate after smoke engulfed the building.
It wasn't immediately possible to contact factory officials or the owners of the facility.
Mahbub Hossain, a senior official of the Bangladesh Fire Service, said rescue work was continuing and predicted the death toll could rise further as firefighters moved to the upper floors of the burned out factory.
It was the latest in a series of deadly accidents at Bangladeshi clothing factories in recent years. Garment workers, who sew clothes for some of the biggest U.S. and European brands, have been demanding better pay and working conditions.
In June, owners were forced to temporarily close 300 factories in the Ashulia area after clashes between workers and police. The factories resumed production after almost a week of violence, following three-way negotiations between owners, workers and the government.
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of ready-made clothing, after China. The industry is a crucial engine for the poor South Asian country's economy, making up 80% of exports, with earnings of around $19 billion in the financial year ended June 30, 2012.
But increasing publicity of unsanitary and unsafe working conditions at the country's 5,000 factories also has drawn criticism from human-rights groups.
The government, keen to protect an industry that employs more than 2.2 million people, mostly women, has tried to mediate between owners and workers. Two years ago, the government raised the minimum wage 80% to $38 a month, but labor activists say this is still too low given inflation near double digits.
Factory owners say they are being squeezed by falling prices in global markets, severe power shortages and high interest rates.
Nazma Akter, head of AWAJ Foundation, a Dhaka-based workers' rights organization, said the deaths at the Ashulia factory showed that owners didn't take safety seriously.
"Many factories don't have fire escapes and fail to enforce safety regulations," said Ms. Akter, herself a former garment worker. "The factory management needs to make efforts in fire prevention and train the workers on safety. Often the workers just don't know what to do in such a situation."
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said most of its members were compliant with international best practices. "The buyers carry out regular safety audits in the factories from which they source clothes," he said. "If we didn't comply with labor laws and safety regulations, we would lose our business."
Mr. Mohiuddin said the association would carry out its own investigation into whether Tazreen Fashion had complied with safety laws.
The fire in Ashulia was the second serious accident to strike Bangladesh over the weekend. At least 12 people died Saturday after a bridge that was under construction in the port city of Chittagong collapsed, police said. The death toll was expected to rise, with more people feared trapped under the concrete.
DHAKA, Bangladesh—At least 120 people died after a fire swept through an eight-story garment factory near the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, police and fire department officials said.
The blaze broke out at the Tazreen Fashion building in the Ashulia industrial area, 24 kilometers north of Dhaka, on Saturday night.
EPARelatives of workers try to identify burnt bodies outside the factory
Locals said panic-stricken garment workers jumped from windows as the fire spread and reported seeing charred bodies being brought out from the blackened building.
Rina Khatun, a worker who escaped the burning factory, said she had been able to get out because she was on the ground floor at the time of the blaze.
"Those who were on the top floors didn't have a chance," she said.
Some workers said the building's fire escape was blocked and guards had failed to open the main gate after smoke engulfed the building.
It wasn't immediately possible to contact factory officials or the owners of the facility.
Mahbub Hossain, a senior official of the Bangladesh Fire Service, said rescue work was continuing and predicted the death toll could rise further as firefighters moved to the upper floors of the burned out factory.
It was the latest in a series of deadly accidents at Bangladeshi clothing factories in recent years. Garment workers, who sew clothes for some of the biggest U.S. and European brands, have been demanding better pay and working conditions.
In June, owners were forced to temporarily close 300 factories in the Ashulia area after clashes between workers and police. The factories resumed production after almost a week of violence, following three-way negotiations between owners, workers and the government.
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of ready-made clothing, after China. The industry is a crucial engine for the poor South Asian country's economy, making up 80% of exports, with earnings of around $19 billion in the financial year ended June 30, 2012.
But increasing publicity of unsanitary and unsafe working conditions at the country's 5,000 factories also has drawn criticism from human-rights groups.
The government, keen to protect an industry that employs more than 2.2 million people, mostly women, has tried to mediate between owners and workers. Two years ago, the government raised the minimum wage 80% to $38 a month, but labor activists say this is still too low given inflation near double digits.
Factory owners say they are being squeezed by falling prices in global markets, severe power shortages and high interest rates.
Nazma Akter, head of AWAJ Foundation, a Dhaka-based workers' rights organization, said the deaths at the Ashulia factory showed that owners didn't take safety seriously.
"Many factories don't have fire escapes and fail to enforce safety regulations," said Ms. Akter, herself a former garment worker. "The factory management needs to make efforts in fire prevention and train the workers on safety. Often the workers just don't know what to do in such a situation."
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said most of its members were compliant with international best practices. "The buyers carry out regular safety audits in the factories from which they source clothes," he said. "If we didn't comply with labor laws and safety regulations, we would lose our business."
Mr. Mohiuddin said the association would carry out its own investigation into whether Tazreen Fashion had complied with safety laws.
The fire in Ashulia was the second serious accident to strike Bangladesh over the weekend. At least 12 people died Saturday after a bridge that was under construction in the port city of Chittagong collapsed, police said. The death toll was expected to rise, with more people feared trapped under the concrete.