The price of cheap clothes? - Dhaka factory disaster

On Wednesday 24 April 2013 a building complex collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The building was home to a large garment factory making clothes for western retailers such as Primark.

Picture source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315717/Female-factory-survivor-pulled-rubble-FOUR-days-Bangladeshs-worst-industrial-accident-building-collapse-death-toll-rises-324.html

VIDEO REPORT:

VIDEO REPORT:

Factory bosses Mahbubur Rahman Tapas and Balzul Samad Adnan surrendered to police on Saturday while Aminul Islam was arrested later the same day.

Police said they had ordered an evacuation of the building on Tuesday after cracks appeared, but that the factories ignored them and were operating the next day.

In pictures:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22291802

VIDEO – Survivor speaks of collapse whilst authorities fire on angry protestors:

On Sunday, thousands of relatives of missing workers were waiting at the site as survivors and the dead are pulled from the rubble.

Police said 353 bodies had been been found, 301 of which had been identified. A further 2,431 people are known to have survived.

VIDEO - Western brands criticised over factory collapse:

Following the disaster, questions have been asked in the UK about whether our demand for cheap clothes has somehow contributed to this dreadful event

BBC News: Shoppers in London were asked if they knew where the clothes they were wearing were manufactured and if they were aware of the Dhaka building collapse in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing cheap clothing for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour.

People on Oxford Street, London, spoke about what they knew of events in Bangladesh and whether they would be happy to pay higher prices for their clothes.

Watch the interviews here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22303266

Bangladesh factory collapse: Who really pays for our cheap clothes?

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/25/opinion/bangladesh-factory-collapse-opinion/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

VIDEO - Bangladesh garment industry scrutinized:

Bangladesh textile workers deaths ‘avoidable’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22296645

Dark underworld of Bangladesh clothes industry:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22306135

Why are workers who make cheap clothes paying with their lives?
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/primark-and-the-high-street-why-are-the-workers-who-make-our-cheap-clothes-paying-with-their-lives-8590489.html

Sources: BBC News, ITN, Al Jazeera, CNN, Daily Mail, The Independent

Sichuan Earthquake – April 2013

Hundreds have died in a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that struck China's south-western Sichuan province.

The shallow quake hit near the city of Ya'an, on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, just after 8am (00:00 GMT) on Saturday 20th April 2013 and injured thousands of people.

The earthquake, which set off landslides and destroyed buildings, occurred close to where a big earthquake killed almost 70,000 people in 2008. It was followed by several aftershocks.

VIDEO REPORT:

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/04/201342003155904436.html

Aid and rescue teams battled landslides and more than 2,000 aftershocks in an effort to find survivors and get basic needs into remote areas of China's earthquake-ravaged Sichuan province

Clogged roads and debris impeded rescuers on Monday as they travelled often on foot in the mountainous southwest region after a 6.6-magnitude quake left at least 188 dead (23 Apr 2013)

Saturday's earthquake left many people missing and more than 11,000 injured, according to state media. Local authorities said around 17,000 families had lost their homes.

BBC news report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22228225

Additional reports:

Rescuers battle to reach survivors in remote villages: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22237162

VIDEO: Many wait for aid days after China's earthquake:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22270355

Fresh crisis hits quake zone: Water and food shortages reported as rescue teams battle landslides and aftershocks to bring basic supplies two days after the earthquake:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/04/20134229514496339.html

Sources: BBC News; Al Jazeera

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