Savar tragedy triggers global outcry, around 300 corpses recovered so far and counting
Two days after the disastrous collapse of the 8-storey Rana Plaza here, hope fades for the rescue of the trapped people due to the slow pace in the rescue operation as the death toll continues to go up taking it to 298 till the report is being prepared on Friday afternoon.
“Save us, brother. I beg you, brother,” Mohammad Altab moaned to the rescuers who could not help him. He was pinned between slabs of concrete in the ruins of the garment factory building where he worked.
“I want to live,” he pleaded, his eyes glistening with tears as he spoke of his two young children. “It’s so painful here.”
Altab should not have been in the building when it collapsed Wednesday, killing at least 275 people. No one should have.
Savar thana officer-in-charge Asaduzzaman said 295 bodies were recovered so far from the debris of the building that crashed on Wednesday morning. Of the bodies, 286 were handed over to their families, he said. Meanwhile, rest of the bodies which remained unidentified were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue early Friday.
Locals and relatives of the victims said the rescue operation is getting hampered and delayed for lack of modern equipment. However, rescuers supplied food, water and oxygen to people trapped inside the building. Manny voluntary rescuers also joined the Army, police BGB members and firefighters to rescue the trapped people. Police, Rab and BGB personnel cordoned off the area this morning to conduct the rescue operation uninterruptedly.
Relatives of the victims vented anger as the law enforcers barred them from going near to the collapsed building. Rescuers feared that the number of victims would go up sharply as many people are still remained trapped under the debris for over 50 hours. The ill-constructed building accommodated at least six garment factories and some 300 shops with nearly 4,000 workers.
Two industrial police constables—Rafiq and ASI Mukul — remained missing since the tragic incident has been rescued alive, So far, 1,916 people were rescued from the rubbles of the building till filing of this report around 6pm. Rescuers feared that the number of victims would go up further as many are still remained trapped under the debris.
Hundreds of people, mostly garment workers and relatives of the victims, gathered at the site to witness the rescue operation as the rescuers brining out bodies one after another from the rubbles.
In a press briefing in the afternoon, GOC (9 division) major general Shaheed Hossain Suhradwardi said, “Let’s face the heart-rending incident with patience. The rescue operation will continue until the last person is rescued, either alive or dead.”
The bodies of the garment workers, mostly females, were laid out on the grounds of nearby Adhar Chandra School and College. Each time a body was identified it led to a heartrending sight as wailing filled the air.
Reporting LIVE from SAVAR • e-News® | The NEWS Company…
