Death Toll in Dhaka Building Collapse Climbs to over 600

The eight-storey building contained a clothing factory, a bank and several other shops. It collapsed during the morning rush hour on April 25. Photo by EPA

The death toll in the tragic building collapse in Bangladesh in late April has now totaled 610, with rescuers continuing to clear the rubble.

At least 3,000 people were working in garment factories in the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, an industrial suburb of Dhaka, when it collapsed on April 24.

BBC reported citing head of a government inquiry team Main Uddin Khandaker that vibrations from four generators located on upper floors caused the building to collapse.

The agency also cited the architect of the building as saying that the facility was designed to house offices rather than garment factories, while three upper floors were added to the original building illegally.

The building reportedly housed at least five garment factories and some 300 shops that employed nearly 6,000 people in total. Survivors of the tragedy said earlier they were afraid to enter the building when cracks appeared in supporting structures a day before the incident.

Police authorities arrested the owner of the building at the end of April.