Bangladesh factory owner arrested for fire, killing 52 workers Reuters

Luma Paul

Dhaka (Reuters)-Police said the owner of a food processing plant in Bangladesh was arrested on Saturday in a fire on charges of murder, which resulted in 52 people being trapped in the building.

According to the police, the six-story factory outside the capital Dhaka was built without permission. The factory does not have emergency fire exits and lacks adequate safety measures.

Police said that after the building caught fire on Thursday, some workers managed to reach the roof and were rescued, but many could not escape, adding that a door leading from the stairs to the roof was locked.

According to the police, the arrested man owns the private company Hashem Food and Beverage Company, a division of the Sajeeb Group that he also owns.

Hashim and Sajib did not respond to requests for comment.

The four sons of the factory owner and three company officials were also arrested for a fire in the factory, which stores chemicals and flammable materials. Firefighters did not put out the fire until Friday night, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The district police chief Jayedul Alam said that a separate investigation has been launched into the allegations that the factory employs children as young as 11 years old.

According to security experts and rights organizations, hundreds of people die in fires every year in Bangladesh, and some buildings there have poor security standards.

After the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building in Dhaka in 2013 killed more than 1,000 workers and injured hundreds, government officials promised to improve safety standards.