The death count on Monday stands at 380, as emergency responders to a Bangladesh factory collapse shifted operations from rescue to recovery and rubble removal.
The multistory facility collapsed last Wednesday, and about 2,500 have been accounted for, CBS reported. On Sunday, the building’s owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, was arrested as he was trying to flee to India.
The number of killed could soar above 380, as recovery workers using heavy machinery find more bodies in the heap.
“We are proceeding cautiously,” said Shahinul Islam, a spokesman for the army force that’s leading the cleanup, as quoted by CBS. “If there is still a soul alive, we will try to rescue that person.”
Meanwhile, the chief of the firefighter force on scene said it was doubtful anyone was still alive.
“There is little hope of finding anyone alive,” said Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, chief of the fire brigade, in CBS. “Our men went inside and saw some dead bodies in the ground floor. But no one was seen alive.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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