Bangladesh urges no harsh EU measures over deaths

Bangladesh urged on Saturday urged  the European Union not to take tough measures against its

 economically crucial textile industry in response to the   collapse of a garment factory that killed nearly 550 people.

 Bodies were still being pulled from the ruins on Saturday as   tearful families stood by waiting for news of victims of the  country's worst ever industrial accident.

 The European Union, which gives preferential access to Bangladeshi garments, had threatened punitive measures in order  to press Dhaka to improve worker safety standards after the   collapse of the illegally built factory on April 24.

 The disaster has put the spotlight on Western retailers who  use the impoverished South Asian nation as a source of cheap goods.

 About 4 million people work in Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China. Some earn as little as $38 a month, conditions Pope Francis has compared to "slave labour".

Duty-free access offered by Western countries and low wages have helped turn Bangladesh's garment exports into a $19 billion-a-year industry, with 60 percent of clothes going to Europe.

 "If the EU or any other buyers impose any harsh trade conditions on Bangladesh it will hurt the country's economy ... millions of workers will lose their jobs," Mahbub Ahmed, the top  civil servant in Bangladesh's Commerce Ministry, told Reuters. The government has not received any formal notification of punitive action from the EU or any other country over the deaths, he said.

  Authorities have arrested nine people in connection with the collapse, including an engineer who had raised safety concerns about the eight-story complex a day before the disaster.

"The bodies that are coming now cannot be identified. The  clothes the victims were wearing are also damaged, the faces are  decomposed," Mohammad Masum, a volunteer rescue worker at the  site in Dhaka's suburbs told Reuters Television.

The collapse was the third deadly incident in six months  that raised questions about worker safety and labour conditions  in Bangladesh. Human-rights groups say there has never been a  case in which a factory owner was prosecuted over the deaths of  workers.

 "After this accident we are very scared and worried about  such an accident happening at our factory," said garment worker  Farida Parveen.

 "We have demanded that the government take action and  examine all factories so that we can all work in a good  environment."

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.