The death toll in the Savar building collapse has risen to at least 290 people dead and over 1,600 injured.
The eight-storey building collapsed near Savar bus stand Wednesday morning. Local police officers said some 600 people are still trapped under the rubble.
Some 200 people were rescued alive from last night (Wednesday) to this afternoon while 158 bodies were handed over to families, Additional superintendentof police, Dhaka district, ABM Masud Hossain told Dhaka tribune.
“The unidentified bodies are very few in number and those will be sent to DMCH for DNA test. Police will keep the DNA database of unidentified bodies and if those could not be recognised within one day, Police will send the bodies to Anjuman-e-Mofidul,” he said.
Army and fire service personnel are conducting rescue operations. The bodies are kept at Savar Adharchandra High School in the area.
The building housed a shopping mall, several garment factories and a branch office of Brac Bank.
Locals complained that the owner of the building kept it open even after engineers had ordered the building evacuated Tuesday after cracks developed in the building.
