2 cases filed over Savar tragedy

Two cases have been filed in connection with Wednesday's collapse of the nine-storey building, Rana Plaza, in Savar that has so far claimed over 100 lives and injured over 600.

Police and RAJUK filed the lawsuits with the Savar Model Police Station on Wednesday night accusing the owner of the building and owners of the five garment factories that the huge structure housed.

Officer-In-Charge Md Asaduzzaman told bdnews24.com that RAJUK official Helal Uddin filed the first case on charges of structural faults and use of substandard and unspecified building materials in construction of the building.

Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf filed the second case against owner of building Mohammad Sohel Rana, his father Abdul Khalek and owners of the garment factories for the loss of lives and damages.

Rescuers have so far recovered 101 bodies and scores of people are trapped inside the rubble as the high-rise on the outskirts of the capital collapsed at around 8:30am on Wednesday.

Most of the dead appeared to be female workers.

Rescue workers, led by the Army, were continuing their operation for those trapped under heaps of concrete.

Workers at Rana Plaza on Tuesday saw the cracks in the huge structure but the authorities allegedly did not take any precautions.

Building owner Sohel Rana told reporters that day that there was ‘nothing serious’ in the cracks.

Rana, a Senior Joint Convenor of Awami League’s youth front Juba League’s Savar municipality unit, has been on the run after the collapse.

Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir visited the site and told reporters that the building was not approved by the authorities.

He said that stern legal actions would be taken against the people who built the structure defying the codes or laws.