Emergency workers in Bangladesh have rescued a woman who survived 17 days buried in the rubble of a collapsed garment factory complex, as the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 1,000.
Pale, drawn but seemingly unhurt, Reshma Begum was cut from the ruins and hoisted onto a stretcher Friday to wild cheers from the crowds.
She managed to survive by taking sips from bottles of water buried with her. Begum, 19, said from her hospital bed that she drank only a small quantity'' to save water.
Emergency workers had earlier given up hope that they would find any more survivors from the accident near Dhaka.
Authorities have arrested at least nine people in the aftermath of the collapse.
Officials say the running of several heavy generators on upper floors may have contributed to the collapse because the structure was not built to support them.
The Bangladesh government says it has shut down 18 garment factories for safety reasons following the April 24 collapse of the building that housed five garment factories.
On Wednesday, eight people died in a garment factory fire in the the capital.
The fire erupted it the Tung Hai Sweater Factory after most workers had gone home.
Bangladesh's $20-billion textile industry accounts for nearly 80 percent of the country's exports.
Pale, drawn but seemingly unhurt, Reshma Begum was cut from the ruins and hoisted onto a stretcher Friday to wild cheers from the crowds.
She managed to survive by taking sips from bottles of water buried with her. Begum, 19, said from her hospital bed that she drank only a small quantity'' to save water.
Emergency workers had earlier given up hope that they would find any more survivors from the accident near Dhaka.
Authorities have arrested at least nine people in the aftermath of the collapse.
Officials say the running of several heavy generators on upper floors may have contributed to the collapse because the structure was not built to support them.
The Bangladesh government says it has shut down 18 garment factories for safety reasons following the April 24 collapse of the building that housed five garment factories.
On Wednesday, eight people died in a garment factory fire in the the capital.
The fire erupted it the Tung Hai Sweater Factory after most workers had gone home.
Bangladesh's $20-billion textile industry accounts for nearly 80 percent of the country's exports.