The owner of a factory where 52 people died in a fire was arrested for murder Saturday along with seven others, as it emerged that children as young as 11 had been working there.

Police said Abul Hashem and four of his sons were among eight people detained over the inferno, which broke out Thursday and raged for more than a day.

A separate inquiry has been launched into the use of child labour at the food factory.

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Jayedul Alam, police chief for Narayanganj district where the factory is located, said the entrance had been padlocked at the time of the blaze and the factory breached multiple safety regulations.

"It was a deliberate murder," the police chief told AFP. All eight people detained face murder charges.

Before his arrest, Hashem told the Daily Star newspaper the fire "may have been a result of workers' carelessness", suggesting a discarded cigarette could have sparked the carnage.

Emergency services found 48 of the bodies on the third floor of the Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Rupganj, an industrial town outside Dhaka.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fire-at-bangladesh-juice-factory-kills-52-many-feared-trapped-396986">Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills 52, many feared trapped</a>

The fire department said the exit door to the main staircase had been padlocked and highly flammable chemicals and plastics had been stored in the building.

Monnujan Sufian, state minister for labour, said inquiries had begun into the use of child workers at the factory.

Child victims mourned&nbsp;

Laizu Begum, who spent hours waiting outside the factory, said her 11-year-old nephew had been working on the third floor and was now missing.

"We heard the door of the floor where my nephew worked was padlocked. Then we realised, after seeing how big the fire was, that he is probably dead," said the woman, who broke into tears.

Outside the burned shell of the factory and at the hospital morgue, AFP spoke to 30 survivors and relatives of the dead, who said child workers at the factory were paid just 20 takas (24 US cents) per hour.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fire-at-bangladesh-juice-factory-kills-at-least-43-many-feared-trapped-396903">Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills at least 43, many feared trapped</a>

Bilal Hossain, the father of 14-year-old Mitu Akter, who was among the missing, went to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue with a photo of his daughter, begging police and doctors to hand over her remains.

"I sent my baby girl to die," said Hossain, who added that the company even owed the girl back wages. "How will I tell her mother?"&nbsp;

At the hospital, Chandu Mia held a photo of his 15-year-old daughter. "I am not sure if she is alive," he said, holding back tears.

State minister Sufian told AFP she had spoken to two survivors aged 14.

"I went to the hospital and I asked them how old they are. The youngest were 14," she said.

Sufian said some children aged as young as 14 were allowed to work in non-hazardous jobs, but that the Hashem factory was considered hazardous.&nbsp;

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"If child labour is proved, we will take action against the owner and the inspectors," she said.

Bangladesh pledged safety reforms after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 when a nine-storey complex collapsed killing more than 1,100 people.

But there has been a series of fires and other disasters since then. In February 2019 at least 70 people died when a fire ripped through Dhaka apartments where chemicals were illegally stored.

The owner of a factory where 52 people died in a fire was arrested for murder Saturday along with seven others, as it emerged that children as young as 11 had been working there.

The owner of a factory where 52 people died in a fire was arrested for murder Saturday along with seven others, as it emerged that children as young as 11 had been working there. Police said Abul Hashem and four of his sons were among eight people detained over the inferno, which broke out Thursday and raged for more than a day. A separate inquiry has been launched into the use of child labour at the food factory. Jayedul Alam, police chief for Narayanganj district where the factory is located, said the entrance had been padlocked at the time of the blaze and the factory breached multiple safety regulations. "It was a deliberate murder," the police chief told AFP. All eight people detained face murder charges. Before his arrest, Hashem told the Daily Star newspaper the fire "may have been a result of workers' carelessness", suggesting a discarded cigarette could have sparked the carnage. Emergency services found 48 of the bodies on the third floor of the Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Rupganj, an industrial town outside Dhaka. Also read | Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills 52, many feared trapped The fire department said the exit door to the main staircase had been padlocked and highly flammable chemicals and plastics had been stored in the building. Monnujan Sufian, state minister for labour, said inquiries had begun into the use of child workers at the factory. Child victims mourned Laizu Begum, who spent hours waiting outside the factory, said her 11-year-old nephew had been working on the third floor and was now missing. "We heard the door of the floor where my nephew worked was padlocked. Then we realised, after seeing how big the fire was, that he is probably dead," said the woman, who broke into tears. Outside the burned shell of the factory and at the hospital morgue, AFP spoke to 30 survivors and relatives of the dead, who said child workers at the factory were paid just 20 takas (24 US cents) per hour. Also read | Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills at least 43, many feared trapped Bilal Hossain, the father of 14-year-old Mitu Akter, who was among the missing, went to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue with a photo of his daughter, begging police and doctors to hand over her remains. "I sent my baby girl to die," said Hossain, who added that the company even owed the girl back wages. "How will I tell her mother?" At the hospital, Chandu Mia held a photo of his 15-year-old daughter. "I am not sure if she is alive," he said, holding back tears. State minister Sufian told AFP she had spoken to two survivors aged 14. "I went to the hospital and I asked them how old they are. The youngest were 14," she said. Sufian said some children aged as young as 14 were allowed to work in non-hazardous jobs, but that the Hashem factory was considered hazardous. "If child labour is proved, we will take action against the owner and the inspectors," she said. Bangladesh pledged safety reforms after the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 when a nine-storey complex collapsed killing more than 1,100 people. But there has been a series of fires and other disasters since then. In February 2019 at least 70 people died when a fire ripped through Dhaka apartments where chemicals were illegally stored.

Bangladesh factory owner held after fire kills 52, child labour enquiry started

Fire at Bangladesh juice factory kills 52, many feared trapped

The fire at a food and cigarette packaging factory in Bangladesh that killed at least 26 people has been extinguished, but heavy smoke and the risk of the building collapsing further were hampering the search of the premises, officials said on Sunday. 
 
Saturday&#39;s blaze was the country&#39;s worst industrial accident since the Rana Plaza building collapse of 2013 that killed 1,135 garment sector workers, and raises further questions about Bangladesh&#39;s safety record. 
 
&quot;The building is hot and it is not possible to enter,&quot; said Ajit Kumar Bhoumik, a senior official with the fire department, early on Sunday. &quot;Also there are huge cracks in the building, so it is very risky to enter without precautionary measures.&quot; 
 
He said that the death toll from the blaze had risen to 26. Some fear it could increase further once search efforts begin. 
 
The cause of the fire in the Tongi industrial zone about 20 km (12 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka, was not immediately known, but officials said a boiler explosion probably triggered it. The blaze broke out as workers prepared to swap shifts in the early hours of Saturday morning. 
 
Mikail Shipar, government secretary with the ministry of labour and employment, told Reuters the government was now going to investigate safety at all of the hundreds of factories in the Tongi industrial zone. 
 
&quot;We checked the design of this factory and initially it is our understanding that it was a one floor building and later the floor had been raised, similar to case of Rana Plaza,&quot; he said. 
 
Shipar added that an investigation would be carried out and if anyone was found guilty of negligence, action would be taken. 
 
&quot;I have already been asked to formulate a project to inspect all the factories in all four industrial zones in the country,&quot; he said. The location of the boiler in the building was also being scrutinised. 
 
The fire is the latest in a series of industrial accidents in the South Asian country, which is the world&#39;s second biggest garment exporter behind China. 
 
The Rana Plaza disaster sparked demands for greater safety in the country and put the onus on foreign companies sourcing clothing from Bangladesh to act. The disaster led to the creation of two international coalitions designed to help fund improvements to building and fire safety at thousands of garment factories across Bangladesh. 
 
One official on Saturday said that the government&#39;s focus so far had been mainly on garment factories, and less so on other industries, but that was now likely to change. 
 
The blaze at Tampaco Foils caused the partial collapse of the factory building, which packages various items, including food and cigarettes, for several local companies and global brands such as British American Tobacco and Nestle. 
 
(Reuters)

Heavy smoke and the risk of the building collapsing further were hindering the search of the premises, officials said

The fire at a food and cigarette packaging factory in Bangladesh that killed at least 26 people has been extinguished, but heavy smoke and the risk of the building collapsing further were hampering the search of the premises, officials said on Sunday. Saturday's blaze was the country's worst industrial accident since the Rana Plaza building collapse of 2013 that killed 1,135 garment sector workers, and raises further questions about Bangladesh's safety record. "The building is hot and it is not possible to enter," said Ajit Kumar Bhoumik, a senior official with the fire department, early on Sunday. "Also there are huge cracks in the building, so it is very risky to enter without precautionary measures." He said that the death toll from the blaze had risen to 26. Some fear it could increase further once search efforts begin. The cause of the fire in the Tongi industrial zone about 20 km (12 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka, was not immediately known, but officials said a boiler explosion probably triggered it. The blaze broke out as workers prepared to swap shifts in the early hours of Saturday morning. Mikail Shipar, government secretary with the ministry of labour and employment, told Reuters the government was now going to investigate safety at all of the hundreds of factories in the Tongi industrial zone. "We checked the design of this factory and initially it is our understanding that it was a one floor building and later the floor had been raised, similar to case of Rana Plaza," he said. Shipar added that an investigation would be carried out and if anyone was found guilty of negligence, action would be taken. "I have already been asked to formulate a project to inspect all the factories in all four industrial zones in the country," he said. The location of the boiler in the building was also being scrutinised. The fire is the latest in a series of industrial accidents in the South Asian country, which is the world's second biggest garment exporter behind China. The Rana Plaza disaster sparked demands for greater safety in the country and put the onus on foreign companies sourcing clothing from Bangladesh to act. The disaster led to the creation of two international coalitions designed to help fund improvements to building and fire safety at thousands of garment factories across Bangladesh. One official on Saturday said that the government's focus so far had been mainly on garment factories, and less so on other industries, but that was now likely to change. The blaze at Tampaco Foils caused the partial collapse of the factory building, which packages various items, including food and cigarettes, for several local companies and global brands such as British American Tobacco and Nestle. (Reuters)

Cracks in building hamper search after Bangladesh factory fire