29 Apr 2013
Rescuing the last survivors of a horrific factory collapse in Bangladesh has been delayed because of fire.
Flames were ignited from sparks flying off cutters which were being used to unsuccessfully save a woman trapped in the collapsed eight-storey commercial building.
The fire has since been put out and heavy lifting operations resumed at the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, the country’s capital.
Factory owner Sohel Rana, thought to have been in hiding since the building fell down, has now been arrested and has been returned to the city.
The collapse occurred on Friday with hundreds of workers still inside the factory.
Despite the fire, which broke out on Sunday afternoon, rescuers continued to work at other sections of the building.
Heavy cutting and lifting equipment has been drafted in because officials realised that the initial gear used was insufficiently strong to deal with the extent of the damage.
The Rana Plaza factory, on the outskirts of Dhaka in Savar, produced clothing garments, the presence of which is thought to have made the fire worse.
Copyright Press Association 2013