4 bodies recovered, many still believed to be inside

Firemen carry a body from the partially collapsed Rangs Bhaban in the capital yesterday, six days after the building collapsed trapping many under rubble.Photo: STAR

Fire fighters yesterday succeeded in recovering the four bodies hanging from the ruins of Rangs Bhaban after efforts to bring down these bodies were suspended the day before on security grounds.
Selim Newaz Bhuiyan, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the dead bodies -- which have been visible but inaccessible since the day of the cave-in -- were recovered during the course of the whole day.
He said yesterday's rescue operation was carried out under extremely risky conditions and therefore, the speed of the operation was very slow.
“The firefighters wore lifejackets and support belts. They had to cut through rods, and at time break down slabs in order to release the bodies caught between the slabs and rods," Selim said.
He added that the rescue team had to refrain from using any heavy equipment during the operation.
The vibrations caused by the machineries almost led to the beginning of fresh collapse of the pile of debris. To avoid this, the rescue team had to change its methods to get through to the bodies located on different floors of the building.
Earlier yesterday experts on the site had suspended rescue efforts when the firefighters had been attempting to rescue the same bodies on security grounds.
Seven more labourers and a security guard of Rangs Bhaban still remain missing, six days after the cave-in incident at the building.
Survivors have said a group of labourers were sleeping on the seventh and eighth floors of the building when the accident occurred.
The dead were identified as Aminul Islam, 20, Ruhul Amin, 48, his two brother-in-laws Delwar Hossain, 45, and Zahid Mollah, 25.
Aminul's body was recovered from the eighth floor. The other three bodies were recovered from the seventh floor.
Ruhul, Zahid and Delwar hailed from Uzandia village under Madhukhali upazila in Faridpur district while Aminul Islam was from Katlamari village under Fulchhari upazila in Gaibandha district
Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) sources said at least 84 fire fighters took part in the operation yesterday.
Dr Istiaq Ahmed, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering Department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said that the bodies that remained missing now might be buried under damaged slabs.
Ahmed is a member of the three-member committee set up to probe the incident,
He estimated that there was around 2,000 metric ton of debris on the different floors of the building and it would take quite some time to remove this and recover the other bodies missing.
A Rajuk engineer, preferring anonymity, said it would take at least 10 days more to complete the operation.