Two factory owners were arrested today over a Bangladesh building collapse disaster, as the death toll in the tragedy rose to 336, with rescuers racing against time to save people trapped under the mangled pile of metal and concrete.
Rana Plaza, the eight-storeyed commercial building that collapsed on Wednesday, housed five garment units, a branch of a private bank and about 300 shops.
“Till now 336 bodies have been pulled out, while 2,415 people have been rescued alive,” a control room official said.
Locals said around 3,500 workers, mostly women, belonging to the garment factories were working when the tragedy struck.
Mahbubur Rahman Tapas and Bazlul Samad Adnan, owners of New Weave Bottoms and New Weave Style, respectively, early this morning came to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (BGMEA Bhaban).
The owner of the building was still on the run.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier in the day ordered the arrest and prosecution of the suspected culprits, including the owner of the building.
“We had urged them to surrender. After they appeared here (BGMEA Bhaban), the detective branch of police arrested them at around 12:30 a.m. and took them away,” BGMEA President Mohammad Atiqul Islam was quoted by BD News as saying.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police (Dhaka range) Mohammad Nuruzzaman confirmed that the detectives had arrested the duo.
Police are looking for two other owners of the factories. All the five factories had allegedly forced their employees to work on Wednesday even though the multi-storeyed building had developed big cracks.
Two Savar Municipality engineers have also been detained in a case filed over the collapse of Rana Plaza, police said.
Fifteen more people were pulled out alive from beneath the rubble of the building here this morning.