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Five Detained as Bangladesh Building Collapse Toll Tops 350


Relatives of garment workers who were working in the Rana Plaza building when it collapsed, gather around a truck carrying dead bodies, in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka, April 27, 2013.
Relatives of garment workers who were working in the Rana Plaza building when it collapsed, gather around a truck carrying dead bodies, in Savar, 30 km (19 miles) outside Dhaka, April 27, 2013.
Police in Bangladesh have detained five people in connection with the factory complex collapse that killed hundreds of people.

Authorities say they arrested a factory owner late Saturday, hours after two government engineers involved with approving the building were taken into custody. Police have also detained two other factory bosses - the managing director of New Wave Apparels and the company chairman .

The complex that collapsed just outside Dhaka housed five garment factories. The owner of the building has been identified, but authorities have not located him.

Officials say the complex owner is local politician Mohammed Sohel Rana. Police say he and factory managers ignored official warnings for people to evacuate the building after inspectors found cracks in it Tuesday.

The death toll from the collapse has risen to more than 350 as exhausted rescue crews are working non-stop in search of survivors.

About 30 people were rescued Saturday, and workers are trying to reach others trapped in the rubble. More than 2,400 people have been rescued since the building collapsed, with at least half of them injured.

More than 3,000 people were in the building outside Dhaka when it collapsed. Authorities do not know exactly how many people are missing.

Protesting garment workers took the streets of the capital Dhaka Friday to demonstrate against the country's poor industrial safety standards.

Hundreds of textile workers clashed with police Thursday. Some workers blame European and American companies for the poor working conditions because the companies demand low-cost goods from the garment manufacturers.

A fire at another garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 100 workers in November.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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