DHAKA: Seventy-two people died in a huge blaze at a footwear factory in the Philippine capital, authorities said on Thursday, as angry relatives and workers described sweatshop conditions including dismal fire safety standards.

Firefighters and police pulled dozens of corpses out of the ruins of the two-storey building on Thursday, a day after the blaze trapped the terrified workers with apparently few exits and no fire safety training. 

‘Many of those retrieved were reduced to skulls and bones,’ national police chief Leonardo Espina said during an emotional press conference, as local authorities confirmed 72 people had died, reports The Straits Times.

‘Someone will definitely be charged because of the deaths. It doesn’t matter if it’s an accident, people died. Right now, we are investigating to clearly define what happened. For sure, someone will be charged.’

BDST: 1301 HRS, MAY 14, 2015
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