2013 Savar building collapse
Aerial view of the building following the disaster
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| Time | 08:45 am BST (UTC+06:00) |
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| Date | 24 April 2013 |
| Location | Savar Upazila, Dhaka District, Bangladesh |
| Coordinates | 23°50′46″N 90°15′27″E / 23.84611°N 90.25750°ECoordinates: 23°50′46″N 90°15′27″E / 23.84611°N 90.25750°E |
| Also known as | Rana plaza building collapse |
| Deaths | 1,129 |
| Non-fatal injuries | ~2,500 |
The 2013 Savar building collapse or Rana Plaza collapse was a structural failure that occurred on Wednesday, 24 April 2013 in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where an eight-story commercial building named Rana Plaza collapsed. The search for the dead ended on 13 May 2013 with a death toll of 1,129. Approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the building alive. It is considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern human history.
The building contained clothing factories, a bank, apartments, and several shops. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed after cracks were discovered in the building. The building's owners ignored warnings to avoid using the building after cracks had appeared the day before. Garment workers were ordered to return the following day, and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.
The building, Rana Plaza, was owned by Sohel Rana, allegedly a leading member of the local Jubo League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League political party. It housed a number of separate garment factories employing around 5,000 people, several shops, and a bank. The factories manufactured apparel for brands including Benetton,Bonmarché,the Children's Place,El Corte Inglés,Joe Fresh,Monsoon Accessorize,Mango,Matalan,Primark, and Walmart.
The head of the Bangladesh Fire Service & Civil Defense, Ali Ahmed Khan, said that the upper four floors had been built without a permit. Rana Plaza's architect, Massood Reza, said the building was planned for shops and offices – but not factories. Other architects stressed the risks involved in placing factories inside a building designed only for shops and offices, noting the structure was potentially not strong enough to bear the weight and vibration of heavy machinery.
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