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Bangladesh Toll Climbs Past 230




The death toll from the collapse of a building in Bangladesh that housed several garment factories has jumped to more than 230 people as emergency workers continue to search for survivors. Wednesday's disaster injured about 1,000 other people.

Rescue crews who have been working day and night since the accident announced late Thursday that they found 40 more people alive underneath the wreckage. However, it is still unclear how many of the thousands who worked in the building remain trapped.

Victims' families have gathered at the wreckage site in the suburbs of Dhaka, as well as at a nearby school where victims' bodies are being taken.

Police say the factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning to not allow workers into the building after inspectors discovered cracks in it on Tuesday. Survivors say the collapse a day later happened within minutes.

Authorities have filed charges and are trying to locate the owners of the building and the garment firms.

More than a thousand textile workers clashed with police as they protested the accident and their country's poor industrial safety standards.



In November, a fire at a separate garment factory killed more than 100 workers and triggered a public outcry. Bangladesh, one of the world's biggest clothing manufacturers, works together with major Western brands and retailers, producing inexpensive garments thanks to the South Asian nation's abundant, low-cost labor.
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