Rescue officials in Bangladesh say an eight-story commercial building has collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, killing at least 96 people and injuring about 1,000 others.
Authorities say emergency personnel continue to dig through the rubble at the Rana Plaza shopping center in Savar to find people who remain trapped in the debris. The building housed a bank, shops and at least one garment factory.
One firefighter told Reuters there were some two thousand people on the upper floors of the building at the time of its collapse. Survivors say the collapse happened within minutes.
Police officials say the factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after inspectors discovered cracks in it on Tuesday.
Buildings in and around Dhaka often do not comply with construction regulations. Dozens of people died when a garment factory collapsed in the same area eight years ago.
In November, a fire at a garment factory killed more than 100 workers, raising an outcry about safety in the nation's garment industry.
Bangladesh has the second-largest garment industry in the world, providing cheap clothes for major Western brands and retailers which benefit from the South Asian nation's abundant low-cost labor.
Authorities say emergency personnel continue to dig through the rubble at the Rana Plaza shopping center in Savar to find people who remain trapped in the debris. The building housed a bank, shops and at least one garment factory.
One firefighter told Reuters there were some two thousand people on the upper floors of the building at the time of its collapse. Survivors say the collapse happened within minutes.
Police officials say the factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after inspectors discovered cracks in it on Tuesday.
Buildings in and around Dhaka often do not comply with construction regulations. Dozens of people died when a garment factory collapsed in the same area eight years ago.
In November, a fire at a garment factory killed more than 100 workers, raising an outcry about safety in the nation's garment industry.
Bangladesh has the second-largest garment industry in the world, providing cheap clothes for major Western brands and retailers which benefit from the South Asian nation's abundant low-cost labor.