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Building collapse at Shakhari Bazar on June 09, 2004
Shankhari Bazaar residents in old part of Dhaka city are passing their days with constant worries
about building collapse. The old and derelict buildings they have been living in remain unrepaired for
long.
On June 9, 2004, the 81 No. building in the area collapsed which killed 19 people.
Reason of Collapse
The building was hundred years old. The dwellers alleged that they could not carry out repairs to the
buildings due to the government declaration of the Shankhari Bazaar area to be one of the country‟s
archaeological heritage sites. The residents said they could neither demolish nor repair the vulnerable buildings.
Link: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-
collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpuf
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpufhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpufhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpufhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpufhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpufhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/jul/28/shankhari-bazaar-residents-risk-building-collapse#sthash.zZE9P77j.dpuf
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Collapse of Spectrum Sweater Garments on April 11, 2005
Shortly before 1:00 a.m. on April 11, 2005 workers in the Spectrum-Sweater factory in Palashbari,
Savar, Bangladesh, 30 km northeast of Dhaka, found their workplace suddenly crashing down
upon them. Sixty-four people died, at least 74 were wounded, some were handicapped for life, and
hundreds were left jobless as a result of the collapse.
The Spectrum collapse and fire resulted in the deaths of 62 clothing workers and injury to a further 84 workers
Before the collapse workers on several occasions had tried to report concerns regarding the safety of
their building, including one worker who saw cracks in the factory wall five days prior to the collapse.
But he was told to keep his mouth shut and work.
Reason of Collapse
The factory had been built on top of a flood-prone former swamp. Despite the lack of an adequatefoundation, five additional stories had been added to the original four-story structure to accommodate
large clothing orders that the factory owners did not want to refuse. To make matter worse, heavy
machinery had been placed on the fourth and seventh floors.
Spectrum was in violation not only of its construction permit, but also of many labour laws and code
of conduct provisions prior to the collapse, such as violation of the minimum wage and of the legal
right to one day a week off.
The MFA Forum, a multi-stakeholder initiative involving brands, multi-lateral institutions, labour
organizations, and NGOs, including MSN, has also been engaging with the Government of
Bangladesh, the industry association and local unions and NGOs on the need for structural safety and
health and safety measures to ensure that the Spectrum tragedy is not repeated.
Unfortunately, the growing pressure on the Bangladeshi garment industry for significant
improvements in health and safety practices has not yet resulted in major improvements at the factory
level. Nor have the victims of the Spectrum tragedy received the full compensation to which they are
entitled.
Link: http://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-
little-action-on-safety
http://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-little-action-on-safetyhttp://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-little-action-on-safetyhttp://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-little-action-on-safetyhttp://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-little-action-on-safetyhttp://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2013/04/11/spectrum-collapse-eight-years-on-and-still-little-action-on-safety
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Fire at KTS Textile Industries Factory on February 23, 2006
A fire at the KTS Textile Industries factory kills 61
workers (including girls 12, 13, and 14 years old) and
injures approximately 100. Locked emergency exits
prevent workers from escaping. There was reportedlyno health and safety equipment or fire drills at the
factory.
Reason of Fire
The fire occurred by an electrical short circuit
Link: http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/03/bang-m02.html
Phoenix Building Collapse on February 25, 2006
Tejgaon is an old Industrial area of Dhaka. A part from other heavy industries a good number
of garment complex have been established in Tejgaon, Phoenix Garments complex, was a 5
storied building , was one of such industries located at Tejgaon, Dhaka. On 25 February
2006, this 5 storied building complex collapsed leaving 21 dead and several injured.
Twenty-one workers are killed and 50 injured when the five-story Phoenix Building collapsesfollowing unauthorized renovations to convert the upper stories of the building into a private
hospital. The building had housed the Phoenix Garments factory, and one line of the factory
was reportedly still running at the time of the disaster.
Link: http://www.army.mil.bd/node/274
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/03/bang-m02.htmlhttp://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/03/bang-m02.htmlhttp://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/03/bang-m02.htmlhttp://www.army.mil.bd/node/274http://www.army.mil.bd/node/274http://www.army.mil.bd/node/274http://www.army.mil.bd/node/274http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2006/03/bang-m02.html
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Transformer explodes at the Imam Group building on February 25, 2006
Fifty-seven workers are injured when a transformer explodes at the Imam Group building and
workers are unable to get out through the narrow exits. The building housed five garment
factories.
Fire at System Fashions on March 6, 2006
Three workers are killed and approximately 50 injured when a fire caused by an electrical
short circuit at a building housing Sayem Fashions and two other garment factories provokes
a stampede when the workers find their exit route is blocked by boxes.
Building Tilt at Nakhalpara in Dhaka on June 06, 2010
A four storey building situated at Nakhalpara
in Dhaka city tilt on one side on June 06,
2010. The Sudden leaning of the structurespread a panic through the area as the
memory of few days ago at Begunbari
Building collapse is still fresh among the city
dwellers.
Reason of Tilt
Breaks down of a gas transmission line is the
main cause of this incident said Mamunur
Rashid, senior officer of Tejgaon Fire
Station.
Link: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2010/06/05/nakhalpara-building-tilts
Cracks in Concord Tower on June
06, 2010
A crack developed in the beam in third
and fourth floors of the 22-storey
Concord Grand building at Shantinagar in
the city on June 06, 2010, four days after
25 people were killed in a building
collapse at Begunbari.
Remedial measures: However, a
special team from the Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technology
(BUET) after a thorough examination has
declared that the Concord Grand building at Shantinagar 'not risky'. The two member BUET
team, led by civil engineering department chairman Fakhrul Amin, told after the examination
that the cracks were not of the main structure. The cracks were in the plaster only.
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Link: http://business.highbeam.com/409102/article-1P3-2050380351/22storey-concord-
grand-city-shantinagar-apparently
Collapse of Rana Plaza on 24 April, 2013
24th April 2013, 9am. Becoming a brutal incident of history, a nine-story commercial
building Rana Plaza collapsed at Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh and left more than 1134 workers
dead, more than hundred missing and many other wounded. Around a thousand families have
found dead bodies of their beloved family members. Many families moved from police
stations to morgues in search of theirs relatives. Many people are still missing.
Approximately 2,515 injured people were rescued from the building alive.
It is considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest
accidental structural failure in modern human history.
The building contained clothing factories, a bank, apartments, and several other shops. The
shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed after cracks were discovered in
the building. Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before had
been ignored. Garment workers were ordered to return the following day and the building
collapsed during the morning rush-hour.
The head of the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defense, Ali Ahmed Khan, said that the
upper four floors had been built without a permit. Rana Plaza's architect, Massood Reza, said
the building was planned for shops and offices but not factories. Other architects stressed the
risks involved in placing factories inside a building designed only for shops and offices,
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noting the structure was potentially not strong enough to bear the weight and vibration of
heavy machinery.
On Tuesday 23 April 2013, a TV channel recorded footage showing cracks in the Rana Plaza
building and the building was evacuated. The shops and the bank on the lower floors
immediately closed. Later in the day, Sohel Rana said to the media that the building was safe
and workers should return tomorrow. Managers at Ether Tex threatened to withhold a
month's pay from workers who refused to come to work.
On the Wednesday morning, 24 April, there was a power cut, and diesel generators on the
top floor were started. The building collapsed at about 08:57am, leaving only the ground
floor intact. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president
confirmed that 3,122 workers were in the building at the time of the collapse. One local
resident described the scene as if "an earthquake had struck."
Why collapse
According to media reports workers at Rana Plaza saw the cracks in the huge structure the
day before the collapse but the authorities did not take any precautionary steps. The building
owner Sohel Rana allegedly told media on the same day that the cracks were “nothing
serious” and on 24th April, the day of the deadly incident, workers were forced to work and
threatened with a month‟s salary cut if they did not comply.
The owner of the building had not received the proper building consent, obtaining a permit
for only a five-story building from the local municipality. The building was, however,
illegally extended by a further three stories to a total of eight. Multiple factors led to the
inadequacy of the design of the building's structure, including illegal construction, poor
regulation of codes and inspections, and dangerous ignorance by the managerial staff.
Industrial police had asked the garment factory owners at Rana Plaza to keep the factories
closed and only continue further operations after consulting with expert structural engineers.
The question that remains unaddressed is: why did the factory owners and Rana work from
the same playbook, and ignore this crucial advice?
Estimated impact of Savar Tragedy:
A recent report published in a Bangla Textile Magazine „Muslin‟ depicted the impact of
Savar Tragedy. Based on that report, below table is showing that an immediate loss of
around 3.5 billion USD has been caused by the accident along with other medium to long
term losses. Loss of lives can never be compensated with monetary value and so whatever
the monetary loss figure is life loss is the highest loss. But below figures are for industry
owners, government and all other concerned to think how such an accident can have its toll
from many aspect along with huge monetary impact.
http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/24/cracks-were-seen-in-rana-plaza-tuesdayhttp://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/24/cracks-were-seen-in-rana-plaza-tuesdayhttp://world.time.com/2013/04/26/dying-for-some-new-clothes-the-tragedy-of-rana-plaza/http://world.time.com/2013/04/26/dying-for-some-new-clothes-the-tragedy-of-rana-plaza/http://world.time.com/2013/04/26/dying-for-some-new-clothes-the-tragedy-of-rana-plaza/http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/workers-forced-to-join-work/http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/workers-forced-to-join-work/http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/workers-forced-to-join-work/http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/workers-forced-to-join-work/http://world.time.com/2013/04/26/dying-for-some-new-clothes-the-tragedy-of-rana-plaza/http://world.time.com/2013/04/26/dying-for-some-new-clothes-the-tragedy-of-rana-plaza/http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/24/cracks-were-seen-in-rana-plaza-tuesdayhttp://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/24/cracks-were-seen-in-rana-plaza-tuesday
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Short term estimated monetary loss due to Rana Plaza collapse.
Description
Estimated Monetary
Loss (in million BDT)
Five RMG factory, Bank, Shops collapsed & damaged 1000
Vehicle, Offices, Shops & Factories torched and vandalised in after
shock protests 4000
Foreign Currency lost due to factories closed for 5 days 25350
Foreign Currency lost due to orders cancelled and shifted to othercountry 240000
The dead and paralyzed Labor would have earned in whole life 4458
Cost of compensation to the dead & injured 1014
Total Short Term Loss 275822
The country is already facing short to medium run impact of the collapse and the long run
impact could be so devastating that the whole industry can be lost due to it if real pragmatic
effort is not taken in time. This issues „Cover Plus‟ articles and othe r Analysis would focus
on that.
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Building tilt at kalyanpur on May 29, 2014
An explosion, possibly due to leak in sewerage line, rocked the 12-storey Mizan Tower at
Kalyanpur bus stand on May 29, 2014 creating huge panic in the area.
The blast originated in the sewerage line beneath the building possibly because of gas
accumulation,
The building houses shops, offices and a mosque on the first three floors while the rest is
residential.
Five people sustained injuries while evacuating the building hurriedly. Officials of the city‟s
real estate regulator said the building is safe.
Link :http://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-
explosion
http://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosionhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosionhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosionhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosionhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosionhttp://www.dhakatribune.com/safety/2014/may/29/kalyanpur-high-rise-did-not-tilt-explosion
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Building tilt in Chittagong on January 21, 2014
A seven-storey building has tilted dangerously in Chittagong‟s Muradpur after developing
cracks overnight.
Reason of tilt
There was excavation of soil recently while an adjacent building was being constructed. The
fire service team told the soil excavation nearby cause the building to tilt.
Link: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/01/21/building-tilts-in-ctg
Year wise accidental record for Textil e and Clothing sector of Bangladesh
Year Accident Name of the Industries Causalities
1990 Fire Sareka Garments Killed: 32
1996 Fire Lusaka Garments Killed: 2
1997 Fire Rahman & Rahman
Apparels
Killed: 22
Fire Tamanna Garments Killed: 27
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Fire Nouvelle Garment,
Florence Fabric
& Modern Garment
Killed: 5 workers
Injured: 50 workers
2000 Fire Chowdury Knitwear Killed: 53, Injured: 150
2001 Fire Maico Sweater Killed: 24
2002 Fire Globe Knitting Killed12
2004 Fire Misco Supermarket
building
Killed: 9
2005 Buildingcollapse
Spectrum factory Killed: 64, Injured: 64
Fire Shan Knitting Killed: 23
2006 Fire KTS Fabrics Killed: 63, Injured: 150
Fire Jamuna Spinning Mill Killed: 6
Fire Phoenix Fabrics Killed: 21, Injured: 50
Light bulb
burst
Sayem Fashion Killed: 6, Injured: 50
2010 Fire Garib & Garib Sweater Killed: 21, Injured: 10
Fire Hameem group Killed: 26, Injured: 100
2011 Fire Eurotex Killed: 2, Injured: 62
2012 Fire Tazreen Killed: 117, Injured: 300
2013 Fire Smart Fashion Killed: 10, Injured: 35
Building
Collapse
Rana Plaza, a house of 5
clothing units
Killed: 1135
Injured: 1000
Fire Tung Hai Sweater Factory Killed: 8
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2014 Tilting of a
building
Kalyanpur High Rise
Residential Building
Killed: 0
Injured: 5
According to the survey report of BGMEA, a total of 175 fire incidents happened in RMG
units from 1990 to October 2014. The toll of deceased recorded to be 222 in 19 factories.
The report said „One garment factory blazed in 1990, three in 1995, one in 1996, six in 1997,
four in 1998, 16 in 1999, 19 in 2000, 23 in 2001, 09 in 2002, 15 in 2003, 16 in 2004, nine in
2005, 15 in 2006, fourteen in 2007 six in 2008, ten in 2009 and four in 2010‟. The survey
recorded 47 fire incidents from 2006 to January 2010. Of the total, 10 took place due to
electric short circuits and the rest are termed as „unknown reasons‟.