President Abdul Hamid on Friday greeted the rescuers for their sincere and successful efforts in saving alive a trapped female garment worker from the ruins of Savar Rana Plaza, 16 days after the tragedy struck. In a message, the President said: “It’s a glorious example and it’ll ever be remembered in the history of the nation.” He wished early recovery of Reshma and also good health and continued success of the rescuers. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday thanked and congratulated the rescuers as they miraculously retrieved garment worker Reshma unhurt from the debris Rana Plaza in Savar 17 days after the eight-storey building collapsed leaving over 1,000 killed and injured around 2,500. Talking to reporters, Prime Minister’s Special Press Assistant Mahbub Alam Shakil quoted Sheikh Hasina as saying: “It’s an unprecedented incident.”
The Prime Minister made this comment minutes after Reshma was rescued from debris of the collapsed building at about 4:30pm.
Sheikh Hasina, who personally monitors the rescue operation, also talked to Reshma over telephone from her official residence Ganobhaban inquiring about her wellbeing.
During the brief conversation, she assured Reshma of providing proper treatment with government’s full support for her. Later, the Prime Minister went to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Savar by an Air Force Helicopter at 6:27pm to see Reshma. She talked to her and enquired about her condition from the attending doctors at Savar CMH.
Talking to reporters, the Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to Almighty Allah for rescuing Reshma 408 hours after the collapse of Rana Plaza. “It is a miracle,” she remarked. She again thanked and congratulated the rescuers saying that the trained rescuers have been working around-the-clock with utmost patience and very cautiously.
”The strategy of the rescue operation was to retrieve the last survival safely from the rubble of the collapsed building. Our strategy has been proved correct with the salvage of Reshma,” she added.
The Prime Minister requested the countrymen to pray for those killed and injured in the Savar building collapse.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Baby Moudud, MP, and GOC of 9 Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army Major General Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy, among others, were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Leader of the opposition in Parliament Khaleda Zia in a statement on Friday also thanked Almighty Allah and greeted the rescuers following the retrieve of Reshma.
“I express my gratitude to Almighty Allah and convey my sincere thanks and greetings to the rescuers as Reshma was retrieved from the debris of Rana Plaza on the 17th day when the possibility of rescuing any person alive under the rubble was fading,” she said in the
statement.
Khaleda, who is also the chairperson of the opposition BNP, said Reshma miraculously came out alive from the rubble of the eight-storey building with the merciful blessings of Allah.
-With The Independent input
