Murder charges after blast

POLICE in Bangladesh have filed charges ranging from negligence to murder against more than a dozen people after a boiler explosion at a garment plant killed 13 people and injured dozens, officials said yesterday.

Monday’s blast happened during maintenance work at a factory owned by Multifabs Ltd, whose top buyers include fashion chain Lindex, which is part of Finland’s Stockmann, German supermarket chain Aldi and Rexholm of Denmark.

Police have blamed the accident on three boiler operators killed in the blast on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital, and 10 unidentified people.

“They have been accused of negligence and murder as they continued to operate the boiler, ignoring safety concerns,” Aminul Islam, chief of the police station investigating the incident, said.

Survivors found guilty could face punishments ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty, authorities said.

Preliminary investigations showed the licence for the boiler had expired on June 24, district administrator Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir said.

The company said, however, it had applied to renew the licence before the deadline.

The accident took place as the plant was being readied to resume operations on Tuesday following a 10-day closure for the Eid al-Fitr holidays.

A boiler warning light had been flashing before the explosion, but the maintenance team had ignored it, one survivor said.