The collapse of
the Rana Plaza factory building near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, is now
confirmed as the deadliest event of its kind in modern times. Officials say the death toll has now reached
507, but that scores of people have still not been accounted for.
About 2,500
people were injured as the 8-storey building fell, and rescuers say they do not
know how many are still missing because they have not been able to get accurate
figures from the factory owners. Nine
people have been arrested in connection with the disaster.
Ever since the
Rana Plaza collapsed last week, workers in Bangladesh’s huge clothing industry
have been holding protests to demand better safety standards.
Until now,
the deadliest building failure of modern times was the collapse of the Sampoong
department store in Seoul, South Korea in 1995, in which 501 people died. When
part of the Circus Maximus in Rome collapsed during a gladiator fight some time
between 138 and 161AD, it was said to have cost more than 1,100 lives.
*The second in my
series of videos on Britain’s 20 Worst Military Disasters – the defeat of
Boudicca. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR7U4cjenuQ
No comments:
Post a Comment