As the rescue operation continues for more trapped victims of Savar tragedy from the rubble of infamous Rana Plaza, hopes fade for finding them still alive.
Till Saturday – the fourth day since the eight-storey Rana Plaza on the outskirts of Savar collapsed – over 1,000 people were still missing, according to several reports compiled by The Independent. However, none of the government officials and voluntary organizations who have been working for the last four days at the site of the destroyed plaza in Savar could give an actual number of the missing.
Multiple local sources told The Independent correspondent that some 4,500 people were working at five garment factories housed on different levels of the plaza and other stores when tragedy struck on Wednesday morning.
About 2,500 people were rescued alive primarily with the help of Bangladesh military up until Saturday while 365 bodies were recovered and of them 313 bodies were handed over to their relatives, a makeshift control room sources said.
Shamsul Alam, 32, hailing from Kumarkhali Upazila of Kushtia district was working at the Rana Plaza on Wednesday morning. He has a young wife and son. He is still missing, said an official of a voluntary organization working in Savar.
“We will contact the widow and provide her some basic training so that the young lady can stand on her own feet, take care of her baby and rebuild her life,” said the official whose organization is compiling a list of the victims’ families needing urgent help. Thousands of people whose sons or daughters or brothers or sisters were working at the Rana Plaza on Wednesday morning and are still missing are continuing to crowd the site of the plaza everyday where the rescue operation is going on day and night.
Meanwhile, a social service organization called Sajida Foundation prepared a list of at least 200 victims who were the lone earning members of their families. Either they all perished in the accident or have been missing.
A team of 15 employees from our organization is now working in Savar and enlisting the missing victims who were the only earning members of their respective families, said Zahida Fizza Kabir, executive director of the foundation.
“At this time we are collecting their information and after verifying the list of those victims, we will provide both short and long-term assistance to poor families facing financial hardship due to death of their only earning members,” she said. Showing their list, an official of Sajida Foundation said Sirin Akhtar, 25 and her husband Akkas Ali, 30 hailing from Mojompur village of Mymensingh district,were working at Rana Plaza and are still missing. “They have one son and one daughter. Who will take care of the kids? We will,” he said in an emotion-choked voice.
Rita Akter, 21, came all the way from Zianpur village of Doulotpur Upazila of Maniganj to work at an apparel factory at the Rana Plaza. She was unmarried and feeding a family of six including her ailing father, The Sajid Foundation official further said.
-With The Independent input
