Savar circle ASP Moshiuddoula Reza told bdnews24.com he had
information about recovery of 76 bodies until 1pm.
Most of the bodies
were taken to the Enam Medical College from the site, which is located near the
Savar Bus Stand.
According to rescuers, at least four more bodies have
been taken to local hospitals and clinics.
More than 800 people were
injured in what is easily one of the worst instances of building collapse ever
in Bangladesh.
Since the condition of many of those being treated in
local hospitals and clinics is critical, doctors say the death toll could
further rise.
Locals said around 6,000 workers used to work in the four
factories located in the building.
Savar Model Police Station OC
Asaduzzaman said the rear of the building suddenly started to collapse around
8:30am. Within a short time, the whole structure, except the main pillar and
parts of the front wall, caved in triggering an all-round
panic.
According to the locals, many bodies were removed from the
collapsed building, but many more are still trapped under the
debris.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep shock at the
tragedy and has ordered the local administration to carry out the rescue
operation on a war footing.
Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has also
expressed shock and grief over the incident and asked her party men to relax the
strike in Savar to facilitate rescue operation.
Home Minister MK Alamgir,
Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haq, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak and
local MP Talukdar Mohammad Towhid Jung Murad visited the site.
Alamgir
said tough action would be taken against those found responsible after
probe.
Four army teams have joined the police, RAB, firefighters and the
locals in expediting the rescue work.
Traffic on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway
has been disrupted after the building collapse as thousands of people came out
to join the rescue.
OC Asaduzzaman said four garments factories and a
bank branch located in the complex were closed on Tuesday after the building’s
wall showed cracks. However, some workers returned to factories on Wednesday
before the collapse.
A nearby stall owner Sujon Mia told bdnews24.com the
building collapsed suddenly with a loud sound.
The ground and first
floors of the plaza had shops selling electronic goods, computers, perfumes and
garments, and also had a branch of the Brac Bank.
On the second floor was
New Wave Bottoms Limited, Phantom Apparels Ltd on the third floor, Phantom Tack
Ltd on the fourth floor and Ethar Textile Ltd on the fifth.
Officials of
the local administration had visited the spot on Tuesday.
Engineer Abdur
Razzak had said the building needed to be examined by structural experts from
BUET for risk assessment.
He had also forewarned about a possible
collapse.
Rana Plaza is owned by Awami League youth front Juba League’s
Senior Joint Convenor, Md Sohel Rana. He is reported to have said the cracks
were not serious.
Building collapses are not infrequent in Bangladesh,
specially in Dhaka, where construction laws are seldom enforced.
In one
of the worst such incidents, at least 70 people were killed when a garment
factory had collapsed outside Dhaka in 2005.
At least 14 died and 25 were
injured when another high-rise building owned by a government official had
collapsed on tin-roof shanties in June 2010.