Hunt continues for survivors of Bangladesh building collapse_美文

Hunt continues for survivors of Bangladesh building collapse

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Rescuers in Bangladesh on Thursday hunted for survivors in a collapsed building as the death toll rose above 200 and criticism mounted of foreign companies that source cheap clothes from the country.

More than 1,000 people were injured when the site housing five garment factories on the outskirts of Dhaka imploded on Wednesday, allegedly after managers ignored workers' warnings that the building had become unstable.

Flags flew at half-mast as the shell-shocked country declared a day of mourning for victims of the nation's worst factory disaster, which highlighted anew safety concerns in Bangladesh's vital garment industry.

"The death toll is now 204," said one senior police officer, adding that most of the dead were from the 3,000-strong mostly female workforce in the building's garment factories.

Wali Asraf, a senior police officer in the disaster control room, said thousands of people were still gathering at the disaster site for information about missing relatives.

Working with cutters and drilling machines, fire and army rescue teams have pulled out 1,400 people alive since they launched the operation with "many still trapped beneath the rubble," said fire service director Major Mahbubur Rahman.

"We are digging carefully and using only small machines to cut through the pancaked floors," he said, adding they stopped using heavy equipment for fear that it might jeopardize the chances for survival of those trapped alive.