2013 Savar building collapse — industrial building collapse in Savar, Bangladesh
The deadliest garment-factory disaster in history killed 1,134 people and triggered binding international safety reforms for Bangladesh's clothing industry.
Key Facts
- Confirmed death toll
- 1,134
- Injured rescued
- approximately 2,500 people
- Search duration
- 19 days
- Building height
- 8 stories
- Defendants charged
- 41 people
- Fashion brands joining Accord
- over 200
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rana Plaza was built in 2006 on a former pond site without proper permits. The upper four floors were added without adequate supporting walls, and heavy garment-factory machinery exceeded the structure's load capacity. Large cracks appeared on 23 April 2013, prompting bank and shop closures, but garment factory owners on the upper floors ordered workers to return the next day, ignoring the warnings.
On 24 April 2013 at 9:00 am local time, the eight-story Rana Plaza commercial building in Savar Upazila, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed due to structural failure. The building housed five garment factories, a bank, and apartments, trapping thousands of workers inside. A 19-day search and rescue operation ended on 13 May 2013 with a confirmed death toll of 1,134 and approximately 2,500 people rescued injured.
The collapse prompted widespread international protests over unsafe working conditions in the global fashion supply chain. Bangladesh enacted laws requiring government-approved inspections of all garment factories. Over 200 global fashion brands and retailers partnered with trade unions to establish the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Building owner Sohel Rana and 38 others were charged with murder; legal proceedings continued for years afterward.