INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The cracks on the walls started to appear two days earlier
But despite the warning signs, Moushumi Begum still came to work on 24 April 2013
Moments later, she was buried under heavy rubble
Plaza, the eight-storey building on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, that came crashing down.That morning, garment workers and some
factory managers had argued in the dusty courtyard outside the building, many reluctant to enter as they feared it was unsafe
Workers had been evacuated the day before because of those fears
behind them.In the 90 seconds it took to collapse, Rana Plaza became a symbol of global inequality
The final death toll was 1,134 people, with 2,500 injured
There were harrowing stories of survival, of people having their limbs amputated without anaesthetic to prise them from the rubble.A new
report by ActionAid Bangladesh has shed light on the devastating toll the disaster has taken on survivors a decade on, revealing that more
than half (54.5%) of the survivors are still unemployed
The key reason is health conditions such as breathing difficulties, vision impairment and physical challenges, including not being able to
stand or walk properly.Moushumi Begum, now 24, has been given a sewing machine by ActionAid Bangladesh to ease her path back to work
But she still does not dare enter a tall building.The report also assessed the safety of 200 current garment workers, with more than half
feeling that initiatives taken by factory management were inadequate
Almost 20% of those interviewed reported that their factories lacked firefighting equipment, while 23% said emergency fire exits were not
available.Begum was just 14 years old
Now married with two small children, she has tried to move on, but her health continues to affect her daily activities
She suffers from acute respiratory distress syndrome, a life-threatening lung injury that makes it difficult for her to breathe
She takes regular pauses as she speaks.Acute health conditions caused by the Rana Plaza disaster have left survivors dependent on
medication.Since the disaster, Begum has been too scared to step foot in another factory
having breakfast with her husband, Abu Sufyan, before they went to work that day
Both worked in the Rana Plaza building, but in different factories.As Akhtar went to her floor, she could tell something was wrong
The lights began to flicker and the floor beneath my feet shook
After she was rescued, she learned her husband had died.When Akhtar regained consciousness, she found herself wedged between two dead bodies
discovered the extent of her injuries: concussion, cracked ribs and fractured arms that would make it impossible for her to work
On day 16, she found out he was dead.Safiya Khatun cries whenever she thinks about what happened that day
She was in the Savar district of Dhaka when she heard a deafening sound
Another said a building had collapsed
She spent the next 15 days desperately searching for him
She carried a passport-sized photo of him and asked rescue workers at the site if they had seen him
18-year-old garment worker Lal Miah.The family now live in poverty because her son was the earner
Khatun lives in a small hut made from bamboo and metal scraps
Around the monument, on the land where Rana Plaza once stood, only weeds and litter mark the spot.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
