1 May 2013

Bangladesh building death toll passes 400

8:50 pm on 1 May 2013

The number of people killed in Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster has officially passed 400, according to officials.

The Rana Plaza housing five factories on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, collapsed on 24 April.

A military spokesman confirmed that the death toll now stands at 402.

A senior army official said a list of 149 people still missing had been compiled from relatives.

The army general said the list of the missing had been drawn up by local officials and was confirmed by Dhaka district administrator Zillur Rahman Chowdhury. Earlier estimates had put the figure far higher but this may have been as a result of duplications, the BBC reports.

Thousands of people marched in May Day parades in Dhaka on Wednesday, demanding the death penalty for the building owner Mohammed Sohel Rana, who is in police custody.

A court earlier confiscated Mr Rana's assets and froze those of the owners of the factories.

Hundreds of workers also held protests on Tuesday in several industrial areas near Dhaka. The BBC reports the protests later turned violent and police used batons to break up the crowds.