Rana Plaza
ISASTER
D
THE
OF
“If you don’t work you won’t eat.”
On the 24th, April 2013 peoples lives in Bangladesh changed forever. The eight story building of Rana Plaza, in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, injuring and killing thousands of low-paid workers.
Just the day before of the collapse, workers noticed cracks on the inside pillars on the second floor. However they were told not to worry and were told to carry on wokring on products we buy in our popular retail stores.
The building was too dangerous to work in, due to the two extra floors added, almost making the building look top heavy. The building collapsed at 8:30 in the morning and the search for people ended on the 13 May 2013, with an overall death toll of 1126.
Sohel Rana is the owner of Rana Plaza and was charged with murder over the buildings collapse, however it wasn't just Sohel Rana that was charged, more than a dozen government officials face charges as well. They are accused of ignoring warnings not to allow workers into the building the day before it collapsed.
Most of the people killed or injured in the factory would have been children. Cheap child labour is happening all over Bangladesh factories and does not support the ETI Base code for retailers. Many children work to make a living for their families and workers in Bangladesh explain “if you don’t work you won’t eat.”