Bangladesh Building Collapse: 60 Pulled Alive From Rubble

Bangladeshi police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of garment workers protesting against the deaths of more than 300 workers in the collapse of a factory building.

Potester At Bangladesh Building Collapse

"The situation is very volatile. Hundreds of thousands of workers have joined the protests. We fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse them," said M. Asaduzzaman, an officer in the police control room.

Dozens of people have been found alive in one room of a collapsed factory block in Dhaka.

Loud cheers broke out among the crowd of thousands of people massing at the scene when the news broke.

Reports put the number rescued at more than 60.

The number of dead has reached more than 300 since Wednesday's disaster at the factory which supplied several British store chains, including Primark.

The rescue came as it was reported the owner of one of the garment factories which ignored an order to stop working had fled.

Around 3,000 people worked in the building and at least 1,200 are said to have been injured.

Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said hundreds more people may still be trapped in the remains.

Screams were heard coming through the cracks in the concrete, suggesting more survivors were awaiting help.

Throughout the day a steady stream of bodies had been pulled out, forcing the recorded death toll to almost double.

Earlier it emerged police ordered the building to be evacuated the day before it collapsed, but clothing factories continued operating.

The order was given after deep cracks became visible on Tuesday.

The managers of a bank that also had an office in the building moved out their workers and suspended their operations.

Rescuers are having to cut through concrete and steel to reach victims

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also asked the factories to shut down on Wednesday morning, hours before the building came down.

"After we got the crack reports we asked them to suspend work until further examination, but they did not pay heed," said association president Atiqul Islam.

Survivors described hearing a loud crack just before the eight-storey building collapsed, with each level pancaking on top of those below.

The building housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

High street giant Primark confirmed one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

A Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved."

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the site, weeping and searching for family members.

Bangladesh's prime minister vowed the garment factory owner who fled would be tracked down and punished.

Elsewhere in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues.

Some workers' leaders attacked Western firms, whom they accused of turning "a blind eye" while using Bangladeshis as "money-making machines".