Bangladesh factory collapse trial restarts after five years

Bangladesh has resumed the trial in the collapse of a garment factory building that killed more than 1,100 people after more than five years of legal complications, a court official said on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Bimal Samaddar said a judge on Monday ordered the recommencement of the trial for 38 out of 41 people charged initially for the deaths in the collapse of Rana Plaza building on April 24, 2013, at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Most of the victims were garment workers employed by five factories, which were housed in the eight-storey building, supplying products for major global brands.

The court fixed February 16 for examining the witnesses, Samaddar said.

A Dhaka court in June 2016 indicted 41 people, including the building owner Sohel Rana, his parents and factory executives for murder as they compelled the employees to work inside the factory despite knowing that it was unsafe.

The same charges were brought against the government engineers, urban planners and construction firm owners concerned.

The trial was suspended for more than five years as two of the defendants challenged the indictment order with the high court to get their charges vacated.

"Now the legal complication has gone and the trial will be considered for 38 defendants," Samaddar said, adding that the two other defendants would be dealt with separately once the court receives reports on the dismissal of their appeals by the high court.

The name of another defendant was dropped from the proceedings since he died after the trial began, he said.

Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of garments after China. It has been the subject of severe criticism over poor safety standards at factories.