Garment factory blaze kills 8 as collapse toll nears 1,000

A fire at a sweater manufacturer killed eight people — including a senior police officer, a Bangladeshi politician, and a top clothing industry official — barely two weeks after the collapse of a building housing other garment factories where the death toll approached 1,000.

Unlike the collapse at the Rana Plaza building, which was blamed on shoddy construction and disregard for safety regulations, the Tung Hai Sweater factory appeared to have conformed to building codes.

A top fire official said the deaths in Wednesday night’s fire were caused by panic and bad luck. “They are really unfortunate,” said Mamun Mahmud, deputy director of the fire service.