Dhaka - A fire broke out in the rubble of a Bangladesh factory complex last night, killing what the country's fire chief described as the last remaining survivor from the building's collapse five days ago. Ahmed Ali told AFP that the fire broke out as rescuers were cutting a beam to bring out what they believe was the last remaining survivor from the collapsed building. The rescue teams had to postpone a decision to clean up the debris with cranes and earth-moving equipment to ensure it did not harm her chance of survival. A volunteer said although she was weak, she was able to cry for help from underneath the debris yester morning. The eight-storey building that housed five garment factories caved in on Wednesday, killing at least 379 people and trapping thousands others, most female garment workers. About 2 500 people were rescued alive from the rubble, which included about 1 000 seriously injured workers many of whom had to have their limbs amputated to free them from the rubble. Police earlier arrested the owner of the building and three proprietors of export-oriented garment factories for forcing the workers to work in the building despite it developing visible cracks a day before the tragedy.

AFP