Eight people have been arrested as a result of the collapse of the commercial building in Bangladesh, where the death toll has now reached 400.
Of the more than 3,000 people inside the building as it collapsed, hundreds are still missing and so it is expected that the death toll will continue to rise. Searchers have worked their way through 350 tons of the 600 tons of rubble estimated to be there.
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According to police in Bangladesh, the building owner as well as the owner of the garment factories housed in the building ignored official warnings that the building was unsafe and should be evacuated after cracks were found the day prior to its collapse.
When the building was constructed, the owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana had permission to build as many as five stories. But, Rana added an extra three unauthorized stories to the building.
Rana was one of the people arrested as a result of the collapse. It is expected that the owner, Rana will be charged with negligence, illegal construction, and forcing people to work. Those charges bring a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets on foot and in vehicles today to protest the working conditions in the building and many are calling for the death penalty for the owner of the building. The May Day protests are more significant, and angrier this year than most because of the recent tragedy.
The High Court in Bangladesh has ordered the owner’s assets seized as well as the assets of the owners of the garment factories housed in the building.