Touted to be the worst accident after the Bhopal gas leak in 1984, the Rana Plaza building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was a story of pain and loss. About two-thirds of the more than 3,000 workers in the building escaped. But as many as 1,500 may have been buried under the rubble. An official death toll of 1,050 makes this one of the most unfortunate incidents in recent past. But where there was despair, there was also hope. Begum Reshma Akhter was dug out alive, 17 days after being trapped in the rubble. Yalda Hakim, BBC correspondent in Bangladesh, recently hosted a programme on this incident on BBC World News. Deebashree Mohanty brings you the story with an interview
What was the USP of the show that you hosted on the Rana PlazatragedyIJ
The programme was very aptly titled Our World’s Bangladesh: Out of the Rubble and it covered the timeline of events leading up to the collapse of the building, the actual disaster and the aftermath. Through the show, we also looked at what actions are being taken to ensure that a similar tragedy doesn’t recur (the Rana Plaza collapse is one of many incidents in the last few years). And finally, the episode talked to key players about what needs to be done to bring about change in the garment industry in Bangladesh. All these questions were pertinent ones that needed an urgent redress. I am happy with the show. It was our small initiative and we are all very proud of what came out of it.
How was your experience travelling to the site and meeting withaffected familiesIJ
Most survivors I met were in a pitiable state in some hospital or the other. In ward after ward, all I found was people with amputated limbs. They were suffering but happy they had survived. This was one of the only ways to ensure that people came out alive — by amputating limbs. On one of the days when I was in the hospital, the local community had collected money and was distributing it among the survivors. Most of these workers are hoping that they would get prosthetic limbs. Many told me that while trapped under the building, all they wanted was to live even if that meant having their limbs amputated. But now, they wonder how they’ll cope for the rest of their lives with this disability. It was one of the most painful journeys I have taken but I am glad I did take a tour. It brought me closer to the pain that these people and their families endure.
nHow are the victims coping with lifeIJ What has the Government donefor themIJ
There is talk of compensation but it is not clear if this will happen. I found hundreds of people outside the collapsed building with photos of their missing loved ones. Their bodies haven’t been identified and they can’t get compensation without a DNA test. Most families I met during the shoot of this special programme told me that they had little hope of stitching their lives together. They didn’t expect the compensation to come through either. All they wanted was that the Government should ensure that accidents like the Rana Plaza never happened to any building ever again.
What kind of assistance was been given to people who were indulgedin the rescue workIJ
I spoke to a number of rescuers at the site. From what I learnt and heard, no assistance has been given to rescuers yet. In fact, all those involved in the rescue operation, from the ordinary factory worker to the military and even those who witnessed it, are traumatised. They told me stories about hearing voices from within the building for days, workers begging to be saved and how they could not do much about it.
They threw in water bottles and sent down oxygen, but slowly one by one the voices faded away. Just 72 hours after the building collapse, the Army chief told me he was preparing to end the operation and start sending in heavy machinery.
However, he said the will power of the ordinary people to rescue as many people as possible made him change his decision. They continued to work for 17 days after the collapse, when 18-year-old Reshma was pulled out from the debris. In some way that was their big victory. The rescuers were very pleased to see Reshma come out unscathed. It was a miracle and they felt rewarded.
The clothes factory had been under the scanner for illegalconstruction. Could the accident been avoidedIJ
There were many reports that suggested this. A Government study suggests it was illegally constructed and built on a swamp. The Rana Plaza had witnessed many minor accidents before the final collapse happened on that day. People say this major scene could have been avoided.
While we were there, we learnt that one of the major issues was the fight to raise minimum wages. It’s currently about $38 per month. This is something workers and the unions are fighting to change. The second is the actual condition of factories and pressure on workers to meet certain quota within a timeframe. For example, about six months ago, there was another incident in Dhaka where a garment factory caught fire and 112 people were burnt alive inside. The workers failed to escape from the burning building because the fire doors had been locked.
We were told the reason the doors were locked was to prevent workers from leaving the factory floor and taking a break. The unions within the country are now trying to take full advantage of this incident to ensure it is not downplayed and to increase pressure on the Bangladesh Government, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturing Export Association (BGMEA) and international buyers. They are hoping to make a difference.
Tell us more about the survivors.
I was amazed by the courage and resilience of Reshma who survived for 17 days despite being trapped under the building and surrounded by decomposed bodies. She held my hand the entire time I spent with her, it helped her feel at ease as she recalled the horror of her ordeal. She told me how, one by one, her colleagues died around her and the stench of their rotting bodies enveloped the little breathing space she had. Reshma described how she managed to find some water which she used that to survive for 17 days. She also told me she found fabric, which she used to drape around her body, to keep warm. She has never been to school and is now hoping to make the most of her life, which she says is a gift from God.
I also met an actress who went to the collapsed building site to help out. She told me how she came across a woman whose name was Bakul and who was trapped under the building. Bakul was screaming “please save me, please save me”. But unfortunately there was nothing the rescue teams could do for this woman and eventually she stopped screaming and died.
Everyone I spoke to was involved in the rescue operation or had been rescued and I think the trauma will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Reshma: I want to live very long
Begum Reshma Akhter was clad in a simple salwar kameez and a scarf that day she got trapped under the debris. She worked as a seamstress on the second floor of Rana Plaza and was a girl with a lot of dreams. On that unfortunate day, Begum had arrived 15 minutes early to spend time with her best friend and colleague. little did she know that that would be the last day that Begum saw her and many of her other friends.
“When Begum was rescued after 17 days of being buried in rubble, she could hardly talk. Although she suffered from only minor injuries, Reshma could barely move. She was in a state of shock. At the hospital, when she met her parents for the first time after the incident, Reshma broke down. She thought this was a dream that she was alive. It took her a few days to recover from the trauma,” Yalda Hakim who met her a few days after in the hosiptal, says.
As for Reshma, even today she gets up in a frantic state. It is not possible for her to forget all that she has endured in those hours. “I had given up all hope didi. I didn’t know whether I will come out of it ever,” she told Hakim during her brief visit.
At present, Reshma is employed with the Westin luxury hotel in Dhaka as a sales representative. She makes a decent amount and is the sole bread-earner of her family.
“She is very happy with the love she has got from her relatives and people around her. This job is her only respite ever since tragedy struck. We are all quite happy with this generous initiative taken by the Government but a lot still needs to be done. There are other families that need this kind of rehabilitaion and care,” Hakim tells you with a hint of desperation.