At least 10 people died in a factory fire outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials said Sunday, the second deadly industrial blaze in four days.

The flames engulfed a small fan factory in the Gazipur industrial district on Sunday evening, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze after a two-and-a-half-hour battle.

They found 10 bodies in the charred structure and were searching for more possible casualties, fire service spokesman Zillur Rahman told AFP.

Officials do not yet know how many people were in the factory -- which was just 900 square feet (84 square metres) in size -- when the blaze took hold.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The latest incident followed the death of at least 17 people when an illegal plastic factory outside Dhaka went up in flames on Thursday.

Industrial fires are common in Bangladesh, especially in the dry winter season, due to lax enforcement of safety codes.

In February this year, a blaze in a historic Mughal building in an old part of Dhaka killed at least 70 people and injured dozens.

In November 2012, at least 111 people died after a fire at a garment factory making apparel for Western retailers, in one of the country's most devastating fires.

At least 10 people died in a factory fire outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials said Sunday, the second deadly industrial blaze in four days. The flames engulfed a small fan factory in the Gazipur industrial district on Sunday evening, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze after a two-and-a-half-hour battle.

At least 10 people died in a factory fire outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, officials said Sunday, the second deadly industrial blaze in four days. The flames engulfed a small fan factory in the Gazipur industrial district on Sunday evening, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze after a two-and-a-half-hour battle. They found 10 bodies in the charred structure and were searching for more possible casualties, fire service spokesman Zillur Rahman told AFP. Officials do not yet know how many people were in the factory -- which was just 900 square feet (84 square metres) in size -- when the blaze took hold. The cause of the fire is not yet known. The latest incident followed the death of at least 17 people when an illegal plastic factory outside Dhaka went up in flames on Thursday. Industrial fires are common in Bangladesh, especially in the dry winter season, due to lax enforcement of safety codes. In February this year, a blaze in a historic Mughal building in an old part of Dhaka killed at least 70 people and injured dozens. In November 2012, at least 111 people died after a fire at a garment factory making apparel for Western retailers, in one of the country's most devastating fires.

Second Bangladesh factory fire in a week claims more lives

Global clothing brands including H&amp;M, Primark and Tesco won a Bangladesh Supreme Court case Sunday, allowing international factory safety monitors to operate in the country which has had a string of industrial disasters.

The top court in the South Asian nation, which became notorious after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in which 1,138 people died, ruled that the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety could continue its oversight of clothing factories for one more year.

Bangladesh is the world's second biggest garment maker after China and the country's factory owners had been lobbying for the Accord monitors to leave, arguing that the programme's five-year mandate had expired.

After a lower court backed the factory owners, ordering the monitors to wind up its operations, labour groups warned of the risk to workers' lives if the Accord, which is backed by about 200 mainly European clothing labels, was forced out.

The Accord has played a big role in pushing through safety upgrades since the collapse of the Rana Plaza warren of factories in 2013.

One of the world's worst industrial disasters, the incident put the spotlight on poor safety standards in Bangladesh's $31 billion a year garment industry.

The Supreme Court said the Accord could keep operating for 281 more working days, around 13-14 months after it made a deal with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) lobbying group, a lawyer said.

The deal has been endorsed by the Bangladesh government and will lead to the establishment of a national safety entity, the Ready-made Garment Sustainability Council which will take over the monitoring.

The BGMEA said the deal would establish the route to self-monitoring by Bangladeshi manufacturers.

Christie Miedema, a spokesperson from the Amsterdam-based Clean Clothes Campaign, said the group was studying the deal to understand its consequences.

But local union leader Babul Akhter said the deal gives wider powers to factory owners and was a threat to worker safety. "It will have bad consequences," he told AFP. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Under intense pressure after the 2013 disaster, leading international brands set up two safety watchdogs to monitor more than 4,500 factories that make clothes for Western stores.

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which represented mainly US brands, has already closed while the Accord had asked for more time to enforce safety measures in the factories under review.

The textile companies fear monitors could start looking into other worker rights issues in an industry where minimum wages start at $95 a month, critics say.

Global clothing brands including H&M, Primark and Tesco won a Bangladesh Supreme Court case Sunday, allowing international factory safety monitors to operate in the country which has had a string of industrial disasters.

Global clothing brands including H&M, Primark and Tesco won a Bangladesh Supreme Court case Sunday, allowing international factory safety monitors to operate in the country which has had a string of industrial disasters. The top court in the South Asian nation, which became notorious after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in which 1,138 people died, ruled that the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety could continue its oversight of clothing factories for one more year. Bangladesh is the world's second biggest garment maker after China and the country's factory owners had been lobbying for the Accord monitors to leave, arguing that the programme's five-year mandate had expired. After a lower court backed the factory owners, ordering the monitors to wind up its operations, labour groups warned of the risk to workers' lives if the Accord, which is backed by about 200 mainly European clothing labels, was forced out. The Accord has played a big role in pushing through safety upgrades since the collapse of the Rana Plaza warren of factories in 2013. One of the world's worst industrial disasters, the incident put the spotlight on poor safety standards in Bangladesh's $31 billion a year garment industry. The Supreme Court said the Accord could keep operating for 281 more working days, around 13-14 months after it made a deal with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) lobbying group, a lawyer said. The deal has been endorsed by the Bangladesh government and will lead to the establishment of a national safety entity, the Ready-made Garment Sustainability Council which will take over the monitoring. The BGMEA said the deal would establish the route to self-monitoring by Bangladeshi manufacturers. Christie Miedema, a spokesperson from the Amsterdam-based Clean Clothes Campaign, said the group was studying the deal to understand its consequences. But local union leader Babul Akhter said the deal gives wider powers to factory owners and was a threat to worker safety. "It will have bad consequences," he told AFP. Under intense pressure after the 2013 disaster, leading international brands set up two safety watchdogs to monitor more than 4,500 factories that make clothes for Western stores. The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which represented mainly US brands, has already closed while the Accord had asked for more time to enforce safety measures in the factories under review. The textile companies fear monitors could start looking into other worker rights issues in an industry where minimum wages start at $95 a month, critics say.

Bangladesh factory safety monitors get court extension

A group set up by European fashion brands to improve factory safety in Bangladesh has sought a stay on a court order that calls for its local operations to end this week, its executive director said on Wednesday.

The group comprises more than 200 firms - including global clothing giants such as H&amp;M and Zara-owner Inditex – who are signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, formed after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, which killed more than 1,100 people.

The five-year pact was set to expire in May 2018 but its brand signatories agreed last year to extend it to 2021 to complete remaining safety fixes, while the Bangladesh government set up a national regulatory body to take over its work.

A High Court in Bangladesh in May, however, ordered the Accord to shut down by November 30, following a petition filed by a local readymade garments supplier against the pact.

The group's inability to inspect factories through the agreement may prompt brands to cut ties with Bangladeshi suppliers, which would hit the country's economy, which is heavily reliant on garment exports.

"We have submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court...and are working to have a stay issued against the High Court judgement that would close down our office," Rob Wayss, the Accord's executive director told Reuters.

The appeal is likely to be heard on Thursday, a government official said, declining to be named as the information was not public. Shamsuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the department of factory inspections at the labour ministry declined to comment, saying the matter was before the court.

Low wages have helped Bangladesh build the world's second-largest garment industry, behind China, with some 4,000 factories employing about 4 million workers. The sector exports more than $30 billion worth of clothes a year, mainly to the United States and Europe.

Wayss said the group would move its work to its Amsterdam office if it is forced to shut down in Bangladesh, as the legally-binding contract signed between its brand members extends up to 2021.

However, moving operations out of Bangladesh would likely increase the Accord's costs and also harm suppliers, said Wayss.

"Right now, they can come to the office any day of the week, we can review designs together, we can give them feedback," said Wayss. "Our ability to do that when we don't have an office and infrastructure is reduced, so the industry is harmed."

Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told Reuters last week the Accord was no longer needed as the government's national regulatory body, the Remediation Coordination Cell, was able to do the job.

However, Wayss said that body still has work to do before it is ready to fully police standards in the sector.

"It's in its infancy, they have just hired their staff, they really don't have their systems in place, their engineers need a lot of additional training just like ours did," he said, adding safety fixes at over 500 of the factories the Accord oversees are still incomplete.

A group set up by European fashion brands to improve factory safety in Bangladesh has sought a stay on a court order that calls for its local operations to end this week, its executive director said on Wednesday.

A group set up by European fashion brands to improve factory safety in Bangladesh has sought a stay on a court order that calls for its local operations to end this week, its executive director said on Wednesday. The group comprises more than 200 firms - including global clothing giants such as H&M and Zara-owner Inditex – who are signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, formed after the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, which killed more than 1,100 people. The five-year pact was set to expire in May 2018 but its brand signatories agreed last year to extend it to 2021 to complete remaining safety fixes, while the Bangladesh government set up a national regulatory body to take over its work. A High Court in Bangladesh in May, however, ordered the Accord to shut down by November 30, following a petition filed by a local readymade garments supplier against the pact. The group's inability to inspect factories through the agreement may prompt brands to cut ties with Bangladeshi suppliers, which would hit the country's economy, which is heavily reliant on garment exports. "We have submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court...and are working to have a stay issued against the High Court judgement that would close down our office," Rob Wayss, the Accord's executive director told Reuters. The appeal is likely to be heard on Thursday, a government official said, declining to be named as the information was not public. Shamsuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the department of factory inspections at the labour ministry declined to comment, saying the matter was before the court. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build the world's second-largest garment industry, behind China, with some 4,000 factories employing about 4 million workers. The sector exports more than $30 billion worth of clothes a year, mainly to the United States and Europe. Wayss said the group would move its work to its Amsterdam office if it is forced to shut down in Bangladesh, as the legally-binding contract signed between its brand members extends up to 2021. However, moving operations out of Bangladesh would likely increase the Accord's costs and also harm suppliers, said Wayss. "Right now, they can come to the office any day of the week, we can review designs together, we can give them feedback," said Wayss. "Our ability to do that when we don't have an office and infrastructure is reduced, so the industry is harmed." Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed told Reuters last week the Accord was no longer needed as the government's national regulatory body, the Remediation Coordination Cell, was able to do the job. However, Wayss said that body still has work to do before it is ready to fully police standards in the sector. "It's in its infancy, they have just hired their staff, they really don't have their systems in place, their engineers need a lot of additional training just like ours did," he said, adding safety fixes at over 500 of the factories the Accord oversees are still incomplete.

Bangladesh factory safety group seeks to delay closure, flags lingering risks

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Second Bangladesh factory fire in a week claims more lives

Bangladesh factory safety monitors get court extension

Bangladesh factory safety group seeks to delay closure, flags lingering risks