May 16 2013

GlobalPost: Cambodia ‘Asics’ shoe factory collapses, killing 2

Newswire | Published 16 May 2013, 7:53 am | Comments Off on GlobalPost: Cambodia ‘Asics’ shoe factory collapses, killing 2 -

|

A factory in Cambodia that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on top of workers early Thursday, raising fears about the level of safety in the global garment industry.

The ceiling of a factory south of the capitol Phnom Penh collapsed on top of 50 workers, killing two and injuring eleven, said Khem Pannara, district police chief for the area.

Heavy iron equipment stored on the floor above appeared to have caused the collapse.

Aided by soldiers, rescue workers dug through the rubble to make sure there were no more survivors trapped inside.

The family of one of the workers killed in the collapse told the Phnom Penh Post that she was 15 years old and had worked at the factory only two weeks.

Sim Srey Touch’s mother said she lied about her age to get a job at the Wing Star factory.

Her sister, 23-year-old Yim Pay, also worked at the factory and told the newspaper she watched police carry out the body of her younger sister.

“I was working in another building and heard a thunderous sound and ran to see what was happening,” Yim said.

“I came out and saw the police carrying my sister and I went into shock.”

The accident comes just weeks after the deadliest disaster in garment industry history.

A 9-story building in Bangladesh came crashing down on top of thousands of workers, killing more than 1,100 people.

The collapse led to calls for reforms in the global garment industry to make workplaces safer.

Major Western brands including Benetton, Carrefour and Marks & Spencer joined clothing giants Inditex of Spain and H&M of Sweden on Tuesday in singing on to a deal to improve building safety.

Click here for the full story.

Comments Off on GlobalPost: Cambodia ‘Asics’ shoe factory collapses, killing 2

Comments are closed at this time.

  • Program Archives