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Today is April 24. A sad day in the history of the country’s garment industry. On April 24, 2013, at least 1,138 workers were killed and 2,438 workers were injured in the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar.
Rana Plaza is located next to Savar bus stand on Dhaka-Aricha highway. There were three garment factories in the building. The workers appeared at work at 8 am that day as usual. Production also started on schedule. The building collapsed with a loud noise around 9:30. Dust and sand started flying around. The workers’ relatives began to cry. One by one, the bodies started coming out. Locals came to the rescue. Later they were joined by army, navy, fire service, Ansar, RAB and policemen. Non-stop rescue operation.
There were various shops on the first floor of Rana Plaza. There were also shops and banks on the second floor. New Wave Bottoms Limited on the third floor, New Wave Style Limited on the fourth and fifth floors and Phantom Tac Limited, Ethertex Limited Garments on the sixth and seventh floors.
Earlier, on Tuesday (April 23) evening, the relatives and activists of various labor organizations remembered the workers killed in the Rana Plaza tragedy by lighting candles. A candlelight vigil was held at the makeshift altar in front of Rana Plaza in Savar and a moment of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs. Later prayers are offered for the souls of the dead workers.
Meanwhile, President of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation Rafiqul Islam Sujan raised various demands on the occasion. The demands are to declare April 24 as National Workers’ Mourning Day, construct a monument in front of Rana Plaza, arrange for the rehabilitation of affected and injured workers by acquiring the land of Rana Plaza, ensure maximum punishment for the guilty and ensure compensation equal to one lifetime’s income to the injured workers. He also wants the speedy implementation of this long-standing demand.
/AS
