DHAKA: April 24, 2013, the worst industrial disaster of modern times happened in Savar, outskirt of the capital. Rana Plaza, a clothing factory collapsed leaving 1,134 people dead.
A year on from the tragedy, several survivors, who were behind the screen, remembered their ordeal in a BBC documentary titled ‘Clothes To Die For’.
Audience can watch it on BBC Two over BBC iPlayer early Monday 3:00am (Bangladesh Time) where the Rana Plaza victims will be speaking about their experiences for the first time, reports the Mirror on Sunday.
The reports included the story of a braved Bangladeshi woman Rojina Begum, who was one of thousands injured, trapped in darkness for days before eventually escaping the rubble.
She had amputated her own arm to escape from the fallen Rana Plaza considering the curse of her own fate.
Here, we are publishing the story of Rojina reported by the British tabloid for banglanews24.com readers.
Sewing machinist Rojina Begum had spent three days trapped in a mountain of rubble surrounded by the stench of more than 1,000 decomposing bodies.
As Rojina grew weaker, a voice suddenly came out of the darkness.
A doctor had found her but the only way she could be freed was to amputate her left arm which was partly crushed under a beam.
The 26-year-old mum said: “The doctor tried to amputate it but couldn’t reach.
"I said, ‘No matter how hard it is, amputate my arm’. He said ‘I’m giving you a saw and you can do it yourself.’
“At first I said, ‘I can’t. I have no strength.’ It was the start of the third day.
"He said ‘Give it a try.’ I said, ‘OK, give it to me’ and I cut it.
“I never thought that I’d have to amputate my own arm. But I was forced to by the situation.
Rojina, who was one of the victims of Rana Plaza collapse said that on April 24 last year the eight-storey building collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring more than 2,400 others.
The men and women killed were making clothes for top Western companies including Primark and Bonmarche.
Rojina and her colleagues should never have been allowed to work that day.
The previous day staffs were evacuated after cracks appeared in supporting pillars and the ceiling.
Despite newspaper reports saying the building was unsafe, owner Mohammed Sohel Rana insisted his workers should return, threatening to withhold their wages.
Explaining how that day unfolded, Rojina said: “I woke up and cooked. Then I had breakfast.
"I fed my daughter, and then sent her to school. After I went inside the factory I saw the rumor was true.
“There was a crack in the pillar and the rods had come out. There were cracks in the ceiling. It could collapse any time.
“I told my sister, ‘We made a mistake coming, let’s leave.’
“At 8.45am the lights suddenly went out.
“When generators kicked in, the whole building shook and came tumbling down.
“I thought where my sister is? I was worried about her and I was panicking.
“I screamed and as soon as I screamed I fell into darkness. I was calling my sister’s name.”
It took less than 90 seconds for the building to collapse.
Rojina said: “I was lying in a cramped space in darkness. My arm was trapped under rods, beams, machines, and tables.
"My head hurt and I was bleeding from my ear. It was horrible. Many of the people around me had died.
"Their blood rolled down my body.
“Everyone was screaming. I was thinking, where is my sister?”
After her rescue Rojina’s worst fears were confirmed. Her sister had died, although another girl was found alive after 17 days.
Rojina’s sister was found by a DNA check on 322 unidentified bodies.
She said: “I never imagined in my entire life that I’d have to see my younger sister’s grave. Never.”
“I’d hoped to do a lot of things. What will I hope for now? I have only one hand. I can’t do anything.”
BDST: 1802 HRS, JUL 20, 2014
