Bangladesh garment factory fire kills at least 10
A firefighter inspects the burnt out garment factory in the Bangladeshi town of Gazipur. Photograph: Andrew Biraj/ReutersAs many as 10 people are dead after a fire at a garment factory on Tuesday evening in the Bangladeshi town of Gazipur, 25 miles north of the capital Dhaka, emergency officials said.
The cause of Tuesday\’s fire is not yet known. Firefighters said it took hours to bring under control.
Poor conditions in Bangladesh\’s garment industry have been in the spotllight since a factory collapse last year that killed more than 1,100 people. In another incident, a fire at a factory in November of last year killed more than 100 people.
Bangladesh\’s export garment industry is the second largest in the world, behind only China, but its low wages and poor working conditions are attracting international scrutiny.
Labor unions say double digit inflation is eroding their income while workers complain about poor safety standards in many factories.
Bangladesh\’s garment industry gets support from the government because it is the country\’s biggest industrial employer and its $19 billion of exports make up 80 percent of the country\’s foreign exchange earnings.
Source: Agencies
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