Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                   Bangladesh Factories Death Toll Passes 500

   Police in Bangladesh have arrested the engineer who warned of cracks in
   an eight-story factory complex that collapsed last week, killing more
   than 500 people.
   Abdur Razzak Khan last week warned of cracks in the building a day
   before it collapsed. Police say they arrested him because of his role
   in the original construction of the building. This brings to nine the
   number of people arrested since the factory collapsed April 24. Among
   the detainees were the owner of the building, the owners of several
   factories housed inside, and engineers responsible for its
   construction.
   Police said Friday the death toll has risen to 501, as new bodies were
   discovered in the ruins overnight.
   On Thursday, the nation`s textile industry reopened, a week after a
   work shutdown prompted by the building collapse near Dhaka.
   The mayor of Savar, the site of the collapse, was suspended from office
   Thursday as garment workers returned to their jobs. Local officials say
   charges will be brought against Mohammad Refat Ullah in connection with
   the country`s largest industrial disaster.
   Meanwhile, rescue workers are continuing to use heavy equipment to
   clear the site. Officials expect the number of victims to rise as 150
   people remain unaccounted for. More than 3,000 people were in the
   building when it collapsed.
   On Wednesday, thousands of people gathered in Dhaka for a May Day
   demonstration to demand safety at work and the death penalty for the
   building`s owner.
   Separately, Vatican Radio reported Pope Francis said at a private Mass
   that he was shocked when he read the Bangladeshi garment workers were
   living on $50 a month. Francis, the leader of the world`s more than one
   billion Roman Catholics, described the workers` salary as "slave
   labor."
   Oxfam also urged Western companies that received textile goods from
   factories housed in the building to follow their colleagues who are
   offering compensation to the victims` families.
   Britain`s Primark and Canada`s Loblaw have promised to provide
   assistance to the survivors and families who lost loved ones in the
   building collapse.
   Several international organizations have been circulating a contract to
   companies involved in the garment trade in Bangladesh, calling on brand
   owners and retailers to work together to insure that factories comply
   with safety standards. It also urges them to adjust their pricing and
   sourcing practices to make that sort of cooperation feasible.
   Judy Gearhart with the International Labor Rights Forum is one of the
   sponsors of the contract. She tells VOA that a coordinated effort is
   needed to fix the situation. She says that unfortunately, the way
   brands have approached their factory monitoring to date has not
   encouraged the factories to be up front about problems they might be
   experiencing over the fear that they will not secure future orders.
   Bangladesh`s $20 billion textile industry is the mainstay of the
   impoverished nation`s economy.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/bangladesh-factories-death-toll-passe
   s-500/1653678.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bangladesh-factories-death-toll-passes-500/1653678.html