UNITED NATIONS: A United Nations-backed fund for Bangladesh has achieved its target of $30 million, according to a committee of stakeholders.

The fund was set up to pay compensation to the victims and families of a factory collapse in April 2013 that claimed more than 1,100 lives.

Guy Ryder, director general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), said in a press statement on Monday: “This is a milestone, but we still have important business to deal with. We must now work together to ensure that accidents can be prevented in future.”

The ILO established the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund to finance the compensation programme.

Although Bangladesh does not have an employment injury insurance system for industrial workers, the ILO has been working with the government, employers and workers’ organizations to raise money for the compensation fund, the ILO chief said.

Rana Plaza was an eight-storey building which housed a garment factory. The building collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing over 1,100 workers.

It is regarded as the deadliest garment factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern history.

The building housed clothing factories, a bank, apartments and several other shops. The shops and the bank on the lower floors closed after cracks were found in the building.

Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before were ignored. Garment workers were told to return the following day and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2015

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