What was the Rana Plaza collapse?

The Rana Plaza collapse was a catastrophic structural failure of a nine-story commercial building in Savar, Bangladesh, on April 24, 2013. The disaster caused 1,134 deaths and injured approximately 2,500 people, making it the deadliest garment-factory disaster and industrial accident in modern history. The tragedy triggered international outrage, legal action against dozens of defendants including building owner Sohel Rana, and major reforms in global fashion industry supply chains.

What we know

• The nine-story Rana Plaza commercial building collapsed on 24 April 2013 in Savar Upazila near Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in a confirmed death toll of 1,134. [1, 2]
• The building was constructed without proper permits on a former pond, and unauthorized upper floors with heavy garment factory equipment exceeded structural capacity. [2]
• Large cracks were discovered in the building a day before the disaster, causing shops and a bank on the lower floors to close, while garment workers were forced to return. [2]
• The disaster led to the creation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, partnered by over 200 global fashion brands and trade unions. [2]

Still open

• The legal trials regarding the criminal charges and corruption cases against the defendants and building owner Sohel Rana have continued for years.

Where to go next

• whoWho is Sohel Rana?
• whereWhere did the Savar building collapse take place?
• what followedHow did the disaster transform global fashion supply chains?
• the bigger pictureWhat causes industrial building structural failures?
• how it workedHow do labor advocacy groups fight for safe working environments?
• an unexpected connectionHow does British retail history connect to warehouse-style operations?While the sources document the Rana Plaza garment disaster, they also detail Matalan's evolution into an out-of-town warehouse-style business inspired by American warehouse clubs.

Sources

• [1]2013 Savar building collapse (Wikidata Q11838739) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Rana Plaza collapse · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Sohel Rana (businessman) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Matalan · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]International Labor Rights Forum · CC BY-SA 4.0