Boiler explosion in Bangladesh textile factory leaves 10 dead and up to 50 injured

Ten people have died as a result of a boiler explosion in a textile factory in Bangladesh. The factory, which is owned by textile manufacturers Multifabs supplies knitted apparel to clients in Europe, including Littlewood, based in the UK.

Factory director, Mesba Faruqui told AFP that the site was closed on Monday with the majority of employees on holiday due to Eid. Adding “if it had happened today, it probably would have been more deaths”.

The explosion brought down parts of the building including walls and one roof. The search is still ongoing for missing workers.

The textile industry in Bangladesh, worth over 30 billion, supplies jobs for four million mostly female workers in 4,500 garment factories, earning a minimum monthly wage of $68 and is notorious for poor employee safety.

Though, since April 2013 when the collapse of Rana Plaza killed more than 1,100 and revealed the dark side of outsourcing, brands are working towards a safer industry. One group — the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety — has more than 150 members, including many European brands like H&M, Carrefour and Mango according to The New York Times. (AFP)