A building collapse in central Bangladesh Wednesday morning killed nearly 100 people and injured hundreds of others. The death toll is expected to climb.
Officials estimate about 2,000 people were inside the eight-story Rana Plaza building in Savar, an area about 19 miles outside the capital of Dhaka, when its top floors crumbled. The building, which Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir says was “not built in compliance with the (safety) rules and regulations,” housed garment factories, a bank and hundreds of stores. So far, 96 people have reportedly been confirmed dead. About 700 others are being treated for injuries.
"Many more people, dead or alive, are still trapped inside," says Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of the fire service.
Rescue teams are carefully navigating rubble to look for survivors.
Alamgir promised the builders of Rana Plaza will be held responsible for not following building regulations. "Stern legal actions will be taken against the people who built the structure defying the codes or laws,” he said.
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