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Rana Plaza collapse

Coordinates: 23°50′46″N 90°15′27″E / 23.84611°N 90.25750°E / 23.84611; 90.25750
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2013 Savar building collapse
File:Dhaka Savar Building Collapse.jpg
Aerial view of the building following the disaster
Date24 April 2013
Time08:45 am BST (UTC+06:00)[1]
LocationSavar Upazila,
Dhaka District, Bangladesh
Coordinates23°50′46″N 90°15′27″E / 23.84611°N 90.25750°E / 23.84611; 90.25750
Deaths1,129[2]
Non-fatal injuries~2,500[3]

On 24 April 2013, an eight-story commercial building, Rana Plaza, collapsed in Savar, a sub-district in the Greater Dhaka Area, the capital of Bangladesh. The search for the dead ended on 13 May with the death toll of 1,127.[2] Approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the building alive.[4][2]

It is considered to be the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern human history.[5][6]

The building contained clothing factories, a bank, apartments, and several other shops. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed after cracks were discovered in the building.[3][7][8] Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before had been ignored. Garment workers were ordered to return the following day and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.[9]

Background

File:Rana plaza before collapse.jpg
Photo of the building before collapse
The location of Savar (red marker), the site of the building collapse, in relation to Dhaka

The building, Rana Plaza, was owned by Sohel Rana, allegedly leading member of the local Jubo League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League political party.[7][10] It housed a number of separate garment factories employing around 5,000 people, several shops, and a bank.[11] The factories manufactured apparel for brands including Benetton,[12] Bonmarché,[13] Cato Fashions,[14] the Children's Place,[9] El Corte Inglés,[15] Joe Fresh,[12] Mango,[16] Matalan,[16] Monsoon,[17] Primark,[14] and Walmart.[18][19]

The head of the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defense, Ali Ahmed Khan, said that the upper four floors had been built without a permit.[20] Rana Plaza's architect, Massood Reza, said the building was planned for shops and offices – but not factories. Other architects stressed the risks involved in placing factories inside a building designed only for shops and offices, noting the structure was potentially not strong enough to bear the weight and vibration of heavy machinery.[21]

Bangladeshi news media reported that inspectors had discovered cracks in the building the day before and had requested evacuation and closure. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed, but garment workers were forced to return the following day, their supervisors declaring the building to be safe.[11][20][22] Managers at Ether Tex threatened to withhold a month's pay from workers who refused to come to work.[23]

Human Rights Watch stated their concern over the number of factory-building tragedies in Bangladesh; there have been numerous major accidents in the country in the past decade, including the 2012 Dhaka fire.[24]

Collapse and rescue

Side view of the collapsed building
Video clip of rescue work at the collapsed building

The building collapsed at about 9 am, leaving only the ground floor intact.[3] The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president confirmed that 3,122 workers were in the building at the time of the collapse.[25] One local resident described the scene as if "an earthquake had struck."[26]

Within hours of the collapse, the United Nations offered to send expert rescue teams with dogs, micro-cameras and other equipment to the site, but this offer was rejected by Dhaka authorities.[27]

One of the garment manufacturers' websites indicates that more than half of the victims were women, along with a number of their children who were in nursery facilities within the building.[9] Bangladeshi Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir confirmed that army, fire service personnel, police and Rapid Action Battalion troops were assisting with the rescue effort.[8] Volunteer rescue workers used bolts of fabric to assist survivors to escape from the building.[28] A national day of mourning was held on 25 April.[8]

On 8 May an army spokesman, Mir Rabbi, said the army's attempt to recover more bodies from the rubble would continue for at least another week.[29] On 10 May, 17 days after the collapse, a woman named Reshma was found and rescued alive and almost unhurt under the rubble.[30][31]

Aftermath

Bangladesh

Rescuers carrying out one of the survivors from the collapsed building

The day after the Rana Plaza building collapse, the Dhaka city development authority filed a case against the owners of the building and the five garment factories operating inside it.[25] On the same day, dozens of survivors were discovered in the remains of the building.[32] Although at first Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had denied the membership of Rana's in Jubo League, after intense criticism of her speech she ordered the arrest of Sohel Rana and four of the owners of the garment factories operating in the building.[33][34] Sohel Rana was reported to have gone into hiding;[33] however, authorities reported that four other individuals had already been arrested in connection with the collapse.[35]

Two days after the building collapse, garment workers across the industrial areas of Dhaka, Chittagong and Gazipur rioted, targeting vehicles, commercial buildings and garment factories.[36] The next day, leftist political parties and the BNP-led 18 Party Alliance demanded the arrest and trial of suspects and an independent commission to identify vulnerable factories.[37] Four days after the building collapsed, the owner of the Rana Plaza, Sohel Rana, was arrested at Benapole, on the Indo-Bangladeshi border, in Jessore District by security forces.[38][39][40][41] On the same day a fire broke out at the disaster site and authorities were forced to temporarily suspend the search for survivors.[42]

On 1 May on International Workers' Day, Protesting workers paraded through central Dhaka by the thousands to demand safer working conditions and the death penalty for the owner of Rana Plaza.[43] A week later hundreds of survivors of Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster blocked a main highway to demand wages, as the death toll from the collapse of a nine-storey building passed 700.[44][45] Local government officials said they had been in talks with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association for the workers to be paid their outstanding April salaries plus a further three months – £97. After officials promised the surviving workers that they would be soon paid, they ended their protest. The government and garment association were compiling a list of surviving employees to establish who must be paid and compensated.[46] The next day, 18 garment plants, including 16 in Dhaka and two in Chittagong, were closed down. Textile minister, Abdul Latif Siddique, told reporters that more plants would be shut as part of strict new measures to ensure safety.[47]

See also: Chandler v Cape plc

It had been reported on Channel 4 News, in the UK, that Primark and other UK High Street firms were in negotiations with trade unions over compensation to the families of the victims.[48] This could pre-empt substantial liability for compensation in English tort law for the parent companies who sold the products, following the Court of Appeal case Chandler v Cape plc.[49] Since Lubbe v Cape plc, involving a worker for a South African subsidiary company who contracted an asbestos disease, it has been possible in English courts for workers abroad who have injuries from health and safety violations to bring claims against the multinational corporations who use their products,[50] although a complete case has not yet been tested internationally.

Worldwide criticism

Politicians

Board with photos of missing people posted by relatives

Nick Clegg, current UK Deputy PM said: "I'm saying ... there's more we could do to talk about what goes on behind the scenes and this terrible catastrophe might well prompt people to think again."[51]

Michael Connarty, UK's Falkirk East MP, is calling on the UK Government to push through new legislation to end modern day slavery by forcing major High Street companies in the UK to audit their supply chain. The framework will request those companies to make vigorous checks to ensure slave labour is not used in third world countries, and the UK, to produce their goods.[52]

Karel De Gucht, current European Commissioner for Trade, warned that retailers and the Bangladeshi government could face action from the EU if nothing is done to improve the conditions of workers – adding that shoppers should also consider where they are spending their money.[53]

The Pope

On 1 May, Pope Francis spoke out against the working conditions in the factory:

'A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour. Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us – the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity. How many brothers and sisters find themselves in this situation! Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit. That goes against God!'[54][55]

Advocacy groups

IndustriALL Global Union, a global union federation representing textile and garment workers' trade unions around the world, launched an online campaign in support of the Bangladeshi unions' demand for labour law reform in the wake of the disaster. The campaign, hosted on LabourStart, calls for changes in the law to make it easier for unions to organise workers, as well as demanding improved health and safety conditions.[56]

On 27 April, protesters surrounded Primark store on Oxford Street in the City of Westminster in the West End of London. Speaking outside the store, Murray Worthy, from campaign group War on Want, said:

‘We’re here to send a clear message to Primark that the 300 deaths in the Bangladesh building collapse were not an accident – they were entirely preventable deaths. If Primark had taken its responsibility to those workers seriously, no one need have died this week.’[57]

Consumers

Dozens of consumers in the US spoke out against unsafe working conditions found in the factory building. People also unleashed their anger at retailers that did not have any connections to that specific building, but are known to source from factories located in Bangladesh.[58]

Fashion industry

Many Western companies[clarification needed] which have activities in Bangladesh have engaged in significant public relations campaigns to minimize the fallout from revelations about their worker's inhumane conditions.

Joe Fresh will send representatives from Canada to inspect their supply chains in Bangladesh.[12] The Irish brand Primark will offer compensation to the victims of the collapse[59] and will also review the structural integrity of buildings making its clothes.[60]

Leading UK brands have been urged to sign up to the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement, which provides for independent structural inspections of factory buildings, with the reports to be made public. But so far only two groups have done so, the US-based PVH which owns Calvin Klein and Timberland, and German retailer Tchibo. UK brands say they are following the lead of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which is instead supporting a Bangladeshi government national action plan launched in March. That plan does not involve structural inspections.[61]

Wal-Mart Stores, J.C. Penney and labour activists have been considering an agreement to improve factory safety in Bangladesh for at least two years.[29] In 2011, Walmart rejected reforms that would have had retailers pay more for apparel to help Bangladesh factories improve safety standards.[19][62] Walmart, along with 14 other North American companies, also refused to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh as the deadline passed on 14 May 2013.[63]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2013 Savar building collapse.

References

  1. ^ "It crumbles like a pack of cards". The Daily Star. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Bangladesh collapse search over; death toll 1,127". Yahoo News. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Bangladesh building collapse death toll over 800". BBC. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013. Cite error: The named reference "bbc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Advertise on NYTimes.com Bangladesh Factory Collapse Death Toll Hits 1,021". New York Times. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh building collapse death toll passes 500". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh Building Collapse Death Toll Tops 500; Engineer Whistleblower Arrested". Huffington Post. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b "80 dead, 800 hurt in Savar high-rise collapse". bdnews24.com. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Mullen, Jethro (24 April 2013). "Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 80". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Nelson, Dean (24 April 2013). "Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 82 in Dhaka". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  10. ^ http://bdnews24.com/politics/2013/04/29/savar-juba-league-dissolved
  11. ^ a b Zain Al-Mahmood, Syed (24 April 2013). "Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 76 garment workers". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  12. ^ a b c 'Extreme Pricing' At What Cost? Retailer Joe Fresh Sends Reps To Bangladesh As Death Toll Rises – Forbes
  13. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/29/benetton-link-collapsed-building-bangladesh
  14. ^ a b Alam, Julhas (24 April 2013). "At least 87 dead in Bangladesh building collapse". USA Today. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  15. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/business/global/hm-agrees-to-bangladesh-safety-plan.html?google_editors_picks=true&_r=0
  16. ^ a b http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2322391/Bangladesh-survivor-Reshma-Akhter-I-dreamed-Id-daylight-again.html
  17. ^ http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/scores-die-as-factory-for-clothing-stores-collapses-29220894.html
  18. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/six-retailers-join-bangladesh-factory-pact.html?pagewanted=all
  19. ^ a b Johnson, Kay and Alam, Julhas (26 April 2013). Major Retailers Rejected Bangladesh Factory Safety Plan. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  20. ^ a b Yardley, Jim (24 April 2013). "Building Collapse in Bangladesh Leaves Scores Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  21. ^ David Blair, David Bergman. "Bangladesh: Rana Plaza architect says building was never meant for factories". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  22. ^ "Workers forced to join work". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 25 April 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  23. ^ "'Suddenly the Floor Wasn't There,' Factory Survivor Says". Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Tragedy shows urgency of worker protections: HRW". The Daily Star. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Case filed against owners of collapsed building in Dhaka". itv.com. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  26. ^ "At least 100 killed and many more hurt in Bangladesh factory collapse". London Evening Standard. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  27. ^ Bergman, David (30 April 2013). "UN offered expert rescue team within hours after building collapse". New Age. Retrieved 4 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "Bangladesh Dhaka building collapse: pictures". MSN. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  29. ^ a b Devnath, Arun. "Bangladesh Garment Factory Building Collapse Toll Reaches 782". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  30. ^ "Woman Rescued in Bangladesh Rubble 2 Weeks After Collapse". NY Times. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  31. ^ Dhaka building collapse: Woman pulled alive from rubble
  32. ^ "Dhaka building collapse: Dozens found alive in rubble". BBC News. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  33. ^ a b "Arrest Rana, four factory owners". The Daily Star. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ "Arrest of Rana, 5 RMG unit owners ordered". Bdnews24.com. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  35. ^ "4 arrested, others questioned after deadly Bangladesh building collapse". CNN. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  36. ^ "Garment workers remain restive". The Daily Star. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "18-party, lefts call hartal for May 2". The Daily Star. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ "Rana arrested from Benapole". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  39. ^ "Savar Tragedy, Sohel Rana Arrested". dhakastar.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  40. ^ "Savar tragedy building owner held in Benapole". Daily Star. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  41. ^ "Dhaka building collapse: Owner Mohammed Sohel Rana 'arrested'". BBC. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  42. ^ Alam, Julhas and Blake, Chris (28 April 2013). "Bangladesh Building Collapse: Fire Breaks Out In Factory Wreckage." The Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  43. ^ Blake, Chris and Hossian, Farid (1 May 2013). "Bangladesh Building Collapse: Protesters Demand Worker Safety As Death Toll Tops 400" The Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  44. ^ "Survivors demand wages after building collapse". AFP. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  45. ^ Bangladesh building collapse death toll passes 700
  46. ^ Bergman, Nelson, David, Dean. "Bangladesh building collapse: Dhaka buildings not given final safety clearance". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ^ "Bangladesh shuts 18 garment factories after disaster". AFP. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  48. ^ 'Collapsed Bangladeshi factory supplies Primark, 96 dead' (24 April 2013) Channel 4
  49. ^ [2012]EWCA Civ 525. See E McGaughey, 'Donoghue v Salomon in the High Court' (2011) 4 Journal of Personal Injury Law 249, downloadable on SSRN(pages 13 to 19)
  50. ^ [2000]UKHL 41
  51. ^ Mason, Rowena. "Nick Clegg: I shop in Primark without a 'moral calculator'". The Telegraph.
  52. ^ Abolish slave trade, 7 May 2013
  53. ^ Hastings, Rob. "Top EU official: British MPs know nothing about Europe and pulling out of the EU would be 'a clear disaster' for Britain". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  54. ^ Pope Francis Condemns 'Slave Labor' In Bangladesh: 'Goes Against God'. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  55. ^ Oxfam reaction to the Savar building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  56. ^ "Make garment factories in Bangladesh safe". LabourStart. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  57. ^ Protesters surround Primark store on Oxford Street following Bangladesh factory deaths
  58. ^ Fox, Emily Jane. "http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/01/news/companies/bangladesh-factory-shoppers/index.html". CNN Money. Retrieved 2 May 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  59. ^ Primark factory collapse: Death toll in Bangladesh set to jump to 1,400 | Mail Online
  60. ^ Factory Building Collapse in Bangladesh Kills 149 | Digital Wires from ENR.com | News McGraw-Hill Construction
  61. ^ "Bangladesh Collapse Shows Safety Audit Shortcomings". Huffington Post.
  62. ^ Greenhouse, Steven (5 December 2012). Documents Indicate Walmart Blocked Safety Push in Bangladesh. The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  63. ^ Bangladesh Factory Safety Accord: At Least 14 Major North American Retailers Decline To Sign. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2013 Savar building collapse.
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