The number of people killed by the collapse of a building in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka rose to 147 overnight and the death toll could climb further because many people are still trapped inside, Dhaka's district police chief said on Thursday.
"The death toll could go up as many are still trapped under the rubble," Habibur Rahman said, a day after the collapse of the eight-storey building on the outskirts of Dhaka that housed several garment factories.
Officials said on Wednesday more than 1,000 people had been injured in the accident.
An eight-story building that housed garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh on Wednesday. One fireman said about 2,000 people were in the Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km outside Dhaka, when its upper floors slammed onto those below.
At the site of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, a frantic effort was underway to find and rescue victims. Television reports showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled out by firefighters and troops.
Doctors at local hospitals said they were unable to cope with the number of victims brought in.
The building collapse, which follows a November fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory on the outskirts of Dhaka that killed 112 people, has compounded concerns about worker safety and low wages in Bangladesh.
The two major incidents, and a third in January that killed seven people, could taint Bangladesh's reputation as a source of low-cost products and services and call attention to Western retailers and other companies that obtain products from the country. But industry people and worker's groups in the United States say the lure of cheap manufacturing costs will keep retailers and buyers turning to Bangladesh.
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