Death toll climbs to 23
Rescue workers yesterday pulled 19 more bodies from the rubble of a five-storey building in the capital's Begunbari area, taking the death toll to 23.
Eight women and four children were among the dead, said rescuers.
"It's no game. It's life," said Marzina Begum, who lost three of her grandchildren in the incident.
That was her reaction after onlookers gathered around the bodies of the children pulled from the rubble in the night.
The 50-year-old woman, distraught by the loss, was in a desperate search for her missing daughter-in-law.
Her son Md Alamgir said it would be less painful to die from taking poison than living with "this loss -- to see my children dead". Minutes later he passed out.
Fire-fighters rescued 10 people yesterday. Five residents of three tin-roofed houses ruined by the crashing building are believed trapped inside.
Twenty-four hours into the collapse, the rescuers struggled to conduct the operation, as the lanes to the site are too narrow for vehicles to pass.
As the day wore on, two divers from the fire brigade searched for bodies in a lake.
The five-storey building had been raised on pillars on the lake, while the three tin-roofed houses were built on stilts in the lake waters.
Lt Col Syed Mohammed Tareq, supervisor of the rescue operation, said 70 percent of the work was done.
Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said a three-storey building nearby would be evacuated as it might come crashing down any moment because of "differential subsidence".
The chance of finding any more survivors is slim, said Maj Shahjalal, a director of the Fire Service.
The rescue operation was delayed for two hours due to technical glitches in the excavator shortly after 4:00pm. It resumed after another excavator was brought to the site.
The five-storey building collapsed on the three tin-shed houses with 60 rooms each Tuesday night. At least 200 people lived in the houses. Four more houses were partially damaged.
Hanif, caretaker of one of the three houses, said he was having a chat with his wife outside when the incident happened.
He said he heard loud noises and saw the building falling on his house. His three daughters were inside. One of the girls was rescued later.
Abdul Mannan Khan, state minister for housing and public works, said houses are built in the capital without Rajuk's permission or any approved designs.
The Begunbari incident is a perfect example of this, he said.
Rajuk official Shafiqul Islam filed a case with Tejgaon Police Station against Zafar Iqbal Dalim, son of the owner of the toppled building, on charges of constructing the structure without Rajuk's approval.
Dalim and his family members were inside the building when the incident had happened. They escaped unharmed and quickly left the scene.
No arrest was made.
Power, water and gas supply to the area was cut off to ensure a safe rescue operation.
About 50 families became homeless as the rescuers knocked down three tin-roofed houses to clear the way for the rescue drive.
Jahanara, Sharmin Akhter, Shantona, Ejen, Meghna, Azizul Islam Babu, Saira Khatun, Imam Hasan, Kalpona, Morsheda Begum, Moniza, Robiul Awal, Momtaj, Jihad, Jannat, Rabbi, Shamsunnahar, Achhia, Shaon and three-month-old Bishal were among the dead.
The identity of others remained unknown.
Each family of the dead was given Tk 20,000 by the government.
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