Shibpur - At least 47 people were killed in an overnight factory fire in Bangladesh after the owners locked up to 900 workers inside, police and doctors said yesterday. Some 100 workers were reportedly being treated for burns and other injuries after the blaze in the eastern town of Shibpur, 30 km from the capital Dhaka.
Local officials said an inquiry team would look into whether the security arrangements - both to stop theft from the towel factory and to protect the mainly female workforce - had contributed to the death toll.