New details about the horrific working conditions that created Bangladesh fire tragedy
More information has emerged about the brutal and unsafe conditions at the Shezan Juice factory where a fire on the night of July 8 killed at least 52 young workers in Narayanganj’s Bhulta area, just outside Dhaka.
A firefighter communicates with his colleagues on a walkie talkie inside the burnt food and beverage factory in Rupganj, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, July 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Forty-nine workers died after being trapped on the third floor of the six-storey building with its only exit locked. Three others were killed after jumping from the burning building. The juice factory is a subsidiary of Sajeeb Group and is owned by Hashem Foods Ltd.
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Published July 11, 2021, 8:22 AM
DHAKA, Bangladesh – The owner of a factory where 52 people died in a fire was arrested for murder Saturday as it emerged that children as young as 11 had been working there. Police said Abul Hashem and four of his sons were among eight people detained over the inferno, which broke out Thursday and raged for more than a day. A separate inquiry has been launched into the use of child labour at the food factory. Jayedul Alam, police chief for Narayanganj district where the factory is located, said the entrance had been padlocked along with multiple other breaches of safety regulations.
A mother, Jamena, shows a photo of her missing son Naim, 17, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, she fears he died in the Hashem Foods fire in the outskirts of Dhaka.
Photo: AFP
Abul Hashem, the owner of Hashem Foods, and four of his sons were among eight people detained on Saturday. Police say they all face murder charges.
Authorities said many of those who died were trapped inside the building because a main exit was locked.
Children were among the victims and a separate inquiry into the use of child labour has been launched.
Bangladesh labour minister Monnujan Sufian told AFP news agency that she had been to a hospital and spoken to survivors as young as 14.
In this file photo, firefighters work at the site of the fire that broke out on Thursday at Hashem Foods Ltd factory in Rupganj, Bangladesh. Reuters/File
DHAKA: The owner of a factory where 52 people died in a fire was arrested for murder on Saturday as it emerged that children as young as 11 had been working there.
Police said Abul Hashem and four of his sons were among eight people detained over the inferno, which broke out Thursday and raged for more than a day.
A separate inquiry has been launched into the use of child labour at the food factory.