A worker trapped under the rubbles is recued.

DHAKA, April 12 (Xinhuanet) -- So far at least 26 garment factory workers were killed and over 300 others trapped under the rubbles of a nine-storied building, which caved in following a boiler explosion in the building Monday in Bangladesh.

    Sources said some 100 people with severe wounds were recovered from the scene and sent to different hospitals for treatment.

    The poorly constructed building collapsed Monday before dawn after the boiler exploded at the ground floor of the Spectrum Sweater and Knitwear factory, 25 km northwest of the capital Dhaka,as some 500 workers of the factory were at night-shift work.

    The garment workers, most of whom are women and still trapped under the rubble, could be heard crying and moaning for help, while their relatives gathered around the wreckage and kept wailing.

    The authorities have dispatched a rescue team consisting of more than 1,500 members from Fire Brigade, Bangladesh Army, Rapid Action Battalion and Police personnel to work on the spot.

    Army dog-squad has been deployed in the rescue operation, whileArmy land levelers and other equipment were brought in to remove the rubbles.

    The rescuers are making frantic efforts to pull out the people by breaking the roofs and walls with welding equipment, large hammers and crowbars. They also pumped oxygen into the rubble to anyone who might be alive.

A victim is moved to the safe place on the stretcher.

    As the rescue operation went on, however, the volunteers fearedthat the death-toll might rise when the huge wreckage is cleared.

    Deputy director of the Fire Brigade Selim Newaz Bhuiyan told newsmen Monday that it may take days to complete the work as they do not have experience, adequate logistic supports and manpower needed for such a massive operation.

    Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury as well as other high officials Monday visited the spot to supervise the rescue operation.

    The authorities has formed a five-member team to investigate the incident, and the probe committee will submit a report in three days.

    The State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar Monday also promised compensation for the victims, adding he will put pressureon the owner of the factory to compensate the victims.

    The factory owner is reported to already offer proper compensation to the victims.

    The daily New Age Tuesday added, the use of outdated and dilapidated boilers without safety valves has caused severe explosions in different industrial units, killing at least 30 persons in the last one month and a half, according to official sources.

    Officials at the Boiler Directorate revealed over 10,000 unregistered boilers, being used by rice mills and small-scale industries across the country, are vulnerable to accidents, but the department is suffering from a severe shortage of manpower forboiler inspection.

    Experts also cautioned the casualty rate of such explosions might increase further if the government does not take necessary steps to prevent such explosions, which mostly take place in the industrial units that have not been registered with the concerned authorities.

    They urged the government to enact tough laws, if necessary, tocompel the factory owners to replace outdated boilers and increasesafety measures in their industrial units.

    The New Age added work-related deaths in garment factories havebeen on the rise sharply as most units flout safety rules.

    With the 26 deaths in Monday's garment factory collapse, the figure of such deaths rose to more than 300 in 15 years, while during the period over 3,000 garment workers were injured in 23 accidents.

    Poor infrastructure, unplanned factory setting, inadequate safety arrangements and insufficient government monitoring are among the reasons for repeated fatal accidents in garment factories. Enditem