Bangladesh factory owner, others flee as toll from fire rises
A police case has been filed against the owner of Tampaco Foils and seven other top managers of the food and cigarette packaging plant near Dhaka who have gone into hiding, as the death toll from a fire at the factory over the weekend rose to 33 late on September 12.
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The blaze erupted early on September 9 morning and became Bangladesh's worst industrial accident since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in 2013 that killed 1,135 garment workers.
It has raised renewed questions about industrial safety in the country, which is one of the world's top garment exporters.
"A murder case has been filed against eight people including the owner of the factory. All of them have gone into hiding. We are doing our best to arrest them," said Aminul Islam, who is an inspector at the local police station. He said the case had been filed by the family of one of the victims.
The deputy inspector general of factory inspection said that authorities also plan to file cases against the company and its owner for violating building and safety codes.
The factory is owned by Syed Mokbul Hossain, a former member of parliament. Hossain told Reuters on September 9 that Tampaco was "fully compliant." But he could not be reached by telephone to answer further questions on September 12.
Jahirul Islam, a director with the fire service department, said on September 12 the Bangladeshi army had joined search efforts at the site of the fire.
