21 Workers Die in a Fire at H&M Factory

Twenty-one workers died when the Garib & Garib Sweater Factory in Bangladesh, caught fire for the second time in six months. Local news media reported thick black smoke caused by burning acrylic yarn spreading throughout the building.  Workers could not escape because exits were locked.  Fire fighters had to cut the window grills to get in, hampering rescue efforts.  The factory’s own fire-fighting equipment, they report, was "virtually useless."  Garib & Garib makes sweaters for major apparel brands and retailers, including Swedish H&M, Canadian Mark’s Work Wearhouse, and Italian Teddy. 

Please join us today in calling upon the brands, the employer and the government of Bangladesh to take immediate action to ensure justice for the victims, and to prevent these tragedies from occurring in the future. The death toll in the Bangladeshi garment industry since 2000 now stands at 230. Given widespread knowledge of the safety hazards in the garment factories in Dhaka, failure to act amounts to criminal negligence.