Tragedy in Bangladesh as workers trapped in factory blaze
Friday, 24 February 2006 15:21
A textile factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh, burned to the ground last night with over a thousand workers locked inside. While media reports put the death toll at close to 50, those workers who escaped fear it may be much higher. Workers in the KTS Composite Textile Mill were working an impromptu night shift to meet a deadline and remained trapped in the locked building when fire broke out.
According to reports, 1100 people were working on the nightshift when an electrical short circuit caused flames to spread throughout the four-story factory building. The factory boiler exploded when fire reached the boiler room and the blast rapidly escalated the situation. With the main entrance to the building locked workers were forced to jump from second and third story windows to escape the deadly flames. Those who managed to escape claimed that 800 to 900 of their fellow employees remained trapped in the flaming building. As of yet, 54 deaths have been reported as a result of the fire and over 100 have suffered injuries.
Workers in the garment sector make up 65% of the Bangladeshi workforce. Working until late at night is common in an industry where povert y wages and a lack of basic workers' rights are endemic, and where trade union representation is rare. The 'race to the bottom' on working conditions - including health & safety - has been exacerbated in recent years with the liberalisation of the industry.
Though this is Bangladesh's worst ever such disaster, it is far from the first time that garment workers in Bangladesh have been killed in large numbers due to safety issues in a factory. Since 1990, 350 workers have been killed and 2500 injured in garment factory fires. In January 2005, 22 Bangladeshi workers in Siddirganj were killed in a factory fire also said to have been caused by electrical short circuiting. In April of 2005, at least 64 workers were killed in the collapse of the nine-story Spectrum Sweater factory building.
