87 dead after Bangladesh building collapses

Bangladesh (AP):



Rescuers using floodlights worked into the night Wednesday to try and free dozens of people believed trapped in a collapsed eight-story building that housed garment factories near Bangladesh's capital, killing at least 87.



Searchers cut holes in the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, and passed water and flashlights to those pinned inside.



The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh's massive garment industry.



Workers said they had hesitated to go into the building because it had developed such large cracks Tuesday, that it even drew the attention of local news channels.



Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that there was no problem, so employees went inside.



"After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly," Rahim said. He next remembered regaining consciousness outside.



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