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Horrifying: At Least 112 Die in Fire at Bangladesh Garment Factory

Nov. 24, 2012 11:52pm Erica Ritz

At Least 112 Killed in Fire at Bangladesh Garment Factory

This picture taken on 24 November, 2012 shows Bangladeshi people and firefighters trying to extinguish a fire in a garment factory in Savar, 30 kilometres north of Dhaka. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

(TheBlaze/AP) — At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raced through a multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh’s capital, an official said Sunday.

The blaze broke out at the seven-story factory operated by Tazreen Fashions late Saturday. By Sunday morning, firefighters had recovered 100 bodies, fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub told The Associated Press.

He said another 12 people who had suffered injuries after jumping from the building to escape the fire later died at hospitals.

The death toll could rise as the search for victims was continuing, he said.

Mahbub said army soldiers and border guards had been deployed to help police keep the situation under control as thousands of anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered at the scene.

He would not say how many people were still missing.

Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.

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Comments (36)

SPIN_MD
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 5:59pm
The blame for this and many other similar tragedies lays squarely on the shoulders of American labor unions that demand such exorbitant wages and compensation packages that American companies basically have to move operations overseas to make any sort of profit.

Maybe the families of the victims can get together and file a class action suit against Trumka.

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- SendTheMeteors
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 6:39pm
  Sure Spin. It is true that Americans won’t work for a dollar a day like they will in Bangladesh, but I wouldn’t blame the unions for that. Something tells me you wouldn’t work for that wage either, you know, to be patriot.
  
  This kind of event is almost inconceivable in the United States because of OSHA, fire codes and other regulations. We as a country don’t like American workers dying on the job, even if it does cut into shareholder profits.
  
  Report this comment
- November26
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 5:52am
  The blame is also with the US government whose regulations make it almost impossible to build plants here. Read fresh political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
  Report this comment
progressiveslayer
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:35am
Damn you George Bush!

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Thighmaster
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:03am
I wonder if we’ll ever hear how many of the dead were children …..

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:29am
  I’m waiting for the American media to place the full blame squarely on an American company for merely using this company as a subcontractor even if only on a part time basis.
  
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piper60
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 7:35am
I know we’ll never know for sure, but this reminds me of the triangle shirt factory fire here in the states.

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Willik
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 6:53am
If it’s not something like this, it’s a Typhoon or some such other natural disaster in Bangladesh.

How in the world has this country survived as an entity?

Hmmm, maybe no one else in the world wants the darn place!

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sparkyrules
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:09am
Tell the woman from Chicago..

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/rahm-emanuel-its-time-to-rebuild-america/2012/11/23/178624bc-340a-11e2-bfd5-e202b6d7b501_print.html

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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:27am
  Infrastructure is great! However, a depression is not the time to drain what is left in the taxpayers coffers to pave over what has already been paved over! Seems to me that if the average household has to ‘tighten the belt’ by 15%, then at the very least, our governments should tighten their belts by a similar amount, and NOT go on a hell-bent spending spree, which really just transfers additional $$$ from the pockets of the savers and investors to the pockets of those who are already employed! When the geniuses that ‘run’ things cannot think of anything to do, they think make-work will solve our problems! Maybe we need fewer such geniuses! They have far too much time on their hands to think of how THEY can best spend OUR money!
  
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- Scooby_Do
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 6:35am
  The entire, “the infrastructure is falling apart and we need big government to fix it” is another scheme of the left to take more of the people’s hard earned money. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been allcated for infrastructure in recent years, but politicians use it to build bike paths and parks that they can then name after themselves. Read fresh political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
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vox_populi
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 3:31am
…but at least they were free from socialist government fire code regulations, right guys?

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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:00am
  And, this is where all our garment industry jobs went over the past 50 years! Check out the countries of manufacture the next time you buy clothes.
  
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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:02am
  Maybe ‘the unions’ should move to Bangladesh and organize the workers over there, so they can operate in the same safety environment we have to. Maybe we could export some of our politicians as well?
  
  Report this comment
- bannedfromCNN
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 7:45am
  Right – maybe we sould loan out Soetoro to the bangers for the next 4 years and he could clean up their mess…
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:05am
  VOX_POPULI, There are some decent codes, and there are some truly ridiculous codes. Try reading some of them sometime. If you have the time. Some of the stuff is like trying to read the tax codes.
  
  Report this comment
- Fubared
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 10:01am
  Pox-
  OSHA dictates you shut your pie hole as you are making my work environment feel hostile. I may need mediation just to be able to face another grueling day, of laughing at you. Perhaps I could schedule mediation after my mandated meditation block.
  
  Report this comment
N37BU6
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 3:23am
Terrible… reminds me of this fire I read about a few years ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire

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- jeanr
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 7:45am
  These are the good ole days that so many here at The Blaze want to return to.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:09am
  JEANR, You display about as much of a simplistic view as VOX_POPULI above. NOBODY and I repeat NOBODY wants to return to the eras of such mistakes. But, go do some research for yourself and read some of the ridiculous codes that are on the books today. Do a search for codes in your area. Contact some architects, and for that matter, some of the building inspectors near you.
  
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denkat56
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 3:00am
I pray for the victims and their families.

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- Sol Invictus
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:34pm
  Yours is the only compassionate post on here. Bless you.I echo your thoughts – but fear it is an echo in a vacuum.
  
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KangarooJack
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 2:01am
Lord knows, I pray for the victims and their families…but at NO POINT is it OUR fault! In my own little corner, just announced in the local newspaper that they ‘found’ the person RESPONSIBLE for the death of a man who OD’d on Heroin. aka they found the guy who sold him the drug. THINK THINK about this one! This piece of sheit is going to go up for an open murder charge. Great ! You might think? BUT- really THINK about the implications. Ultimately, it is THE DEAD GUY that did the Heiroin. IS ANYONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEMSELVES NOWADAYS???

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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:06am
  Some enterprising lawyer will connect the dots and argue that ‘if you bough the clothes they exported, then you are responsible for the factory conditions that led to this fire’! That is actually an interesting point, because the ‘cost’ of this fire will ultimately be factored into the cost of the clothes that you buy. Unfortunately, neither of the above will do anything to help the victims of this disaster.
  
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KangarooJack
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:25am
…and it is UP TO THE PEOPLE OF BANGLADESH to CHANGE THIS! Just like it was due to Public Outcry at our OWN Shirtfactory fire {Honestly, I’d give you the name of the factory, but I’ve lent the book to my youngest son’s teacher-will look it up} Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NY. It was due to Public Outcry that Fire Codes & Standards were upgraded.

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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:07am
  Where is the U.N. just when you really need them? Surely, this will be on the Agenda 21 manifest?
  
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RIGHT_WHERE_IT_HURTS
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:23am
Can’t forget about the EPA and their unnecessarily restrictive laws (let’s face it – to leech even more money out of U.S. businesses) are driving manufacturers out too. That leads to even more damage to our Planet because they don’t care about pollutants and industrial waste. The land of those countries is their most valuable resource, and it’s getting hammered. In turn, we ALL are too. God Bless the Victims and their grieving Families.

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- DMENTED
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:35am
  Speaking of insanities, good old Craig Becker is on the board of the AFL-CIO now, trying to throw a monkey wrench into the Clean Water Act. He needs to be PERMANENTLY sedated.
  
  Report this comment
Diane TX
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:02am
Horrible. The USA used to be a major manufacturing Country until the Trade Unions drove manufacturing to third world Countries. Here, we have all kinds of safety regulations, but we hardly manufacture anything, anymore.

I’m so sad to learn that these unfortunate people died such a horrible death.

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- riseandshine
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 1:46am
  Nafta/Gatt was big.
  
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- Salamander
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 4:12am
  Isn’t it ironic that the Trade Unions didn’t follow the manufacturing that they drove overseas! Whatever happened to “Workers of the World, Unite!” Or, is that just a pile of crap designed to support the ‘Movement du jour’ to disrupt OUR country, OUR economy, OUR way of life! I wonder if Obama shouldn’t run over there and remind the factory owners that ‘YOU didn’t make that shirt! YOU didn’t build that business! Ergo ipso facto, YOU didn’t cause that fire!’ Gee, now THAT makes a lot of sense?
  
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CHROME_PLATED_HEART
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 12:53am
Even Harleys aren’t totally made in America anymore. As far as I know Victory (made by Polaris) is the only one left.

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JACKTHETOAD
Posted on November 25, 2012 at 12:03am
The benefits of outsourcing. Pray for their souls. What a horrible death.

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- The Giver
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 12:48am
  Don’t know what if any relationship that factory had to ‘outsourcing”, but I will tell you that making businesses the enemy, only drives them away more. Less US businesses = less safe jobs. A prayer goes out for the physically dead, injured and their families.
  
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- jeanr
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 7:46am
  I have the solution. We can just buy $130 pairs of jeans from Glenn!
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on November 25, 2012 at 8:26am
  JEANR, Don’t worry Glenn’s jeans. Oh yeah, beware the union label. Three to four times the cost of what they are worth, and the work is the shoddiest.
  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303365804576429730284498872.html
  http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/22/business/fi-jeans22
  http://www.z2jeansco.com/
  http://www.madewell.com/index.jsp
  I would go on, but there is just not that much out there now. Maybe you can get out there and corner the market on well made jeans for a decent price. Levi’s were just ten bucks when I started buying them, and they were U.S. made. Would love to see a return to those prices. But, bitch all you want, Glenn’s jeans are in the same price range as others made here, and even far less than many. Envy much?
  
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