New fire at Bangladesh garment factory, day after deadly blaze

DHAKA: A fire broke out in a multi-storey garment factory building outside Dhaka on Monday, one day after more than 100 people were killed in a blaze that swept through another factory on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital.

A fire brigade official said the blaze in the 11-storey building in the suburb of Uttara, which housed three separate factories, was almost under control.

There were no reports of deaths, but eight workers were injured due to heavy smoke, fire brigade Director General Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah told Reuters.

Sunday's blaze, in which 109 people died, was Bangladesh's worst-ever factory blaze. Working conditions at Bangladeshi factories are notoriously poor, with little enforcement of safety laws, and overcrowding and locked fire doors are common.

Bangladesh has around 4,500 garment factories and is the world's biggest exporter of clothing after China, with garments making up 80% of its $24 billion annual exports.

More than 300 factories near the capital shut for almost a week earlier this year as workers demanded higher wages and better working conditions.