Fire destroys Bangladesh clothes factory supplying Li and Fung
A fire yesterday destroyed a Bangladesh garment factory supplying Hong Kong-based Li and Fung and some big Western brands. The blaze was started by workers angered by rumours police had shot dead a colleague.
A fire yesterday destroyed a Bangladesh garment factory supplying Hong Kong-based Li and Fung and some big Western brands. The blaze was started by workers angered by rumours police had shot dead a colleague.
There were no initial reports of casualties from the fire that gutted a 10-storey building in Gazipur, 40 kilometres from the capital, Dhaka. Firefighters battled to put out the fire, which spread to four adjacent buildings.
"We are still struggling to control the flames," said fire official Mahbubur Rahman, adding that 22 fire service and civil defence units from Dhaka and nearby areas were scrambled to fight the fire.
Burned garments strewn across the floor bore the brand names of US retailers such as American Eagle Outfitters, Gap and Wal-Mart Stores.
Other branding on the clothes included Li and Fung, Marks and Spencer, Sears, Fast Retailing's Uniqlo and Inditex brand Zara.
The factory was among the 10 biggest in the country, said Mohammad Atiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, an industry body.
