It's the first time that a nine storied building collapsed and many people were buried alive.

It took nine days to finish the rescue operation and clean the debris. One thing has become clear: the absence of well-trained rescue operators and equipment. If the rescue operation could be carried out a bit faster than the number of survivors would have been higher. Not less then 100 people died and many others were injured. Some victims even died after four days of the accident inside the building. Some died in front of the rescue workers who even gave them water to drink. That was the most horrible experience.

The question is, if a nine storied building needs nine days to clean how long will it take to complete the rescue operations if there is a big earthquake in the country?

Remember Bangladesh is located in an earth-quake prone zone.

I saw coverage of the Savar building collapse in Canadian National TV media CBC news. We rarely see Bangladeshi news item in Canadian TVs. The US and Canada are importers of Bangladeshi clothing items and these countries are very much concerned about worker's safety issue. I guess that the incident may have an adverse impact on Bangladeshi garments export to these countries.

News reports suggest that the owner built the nine-storied factory without the permission of the appropriate authorities. The soil condition in that area was not suitable for such high rise buildings and there was no proper foundation. These issues should be investigated. However, the problem is that the owner is closely related to the ruling BNP.

That is why I am afraid whether there will be proper investigation and whther the culprit will be punished.

Rashed Choudhury Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

It's very common nowadays that every year there will be one or more tragedies in the garments industry, whether its fire or stampede or building collapse. Why is it happening? The answer is very simple "negligence". The hard working poor people, who are bringing millions of dollars for the country, die under rubbles because there are not enough equipment to bring them out! Malls are mushrooming in our city but we helplessly observed 100's of lives perishing gradually inside the rubbles! We see big processions are held for political reasons, but no one stands for these poor people. No one comes out on the street demanding and pressuring the government to bring the culprits responsible for this accident to justice.

I feel not only the garment factory owner, the whole country didn't value the lives of these poor people. Now the question is, what can be done to avoid any such future incident?

Nazmun Canada

The terrible tragedy of the garments factory has occurred in an area of Bangladesh that I am familiar with, having visited Palasbari on many occasions. It saddens me when I see once again that it is the poorest of the poor who are affected by yet another tragedy. It angers me when I know that this is only one of many incidents in these garment factories where lives have been lost so that companies in the West can make maximum profit by selling garments made in these disgusting conditions. It is true that there is always someone to replace those who have died for even though the wages and conditions are so pathetic, they are better than nothing at all. Lives will be put at risk so that someone can become rich on the blood of their own countrymen and women. These people should hang their heads in shame for their exploitation just as we in the West should hang our heads in shame to know that the clothes we are wearing come at such a cost in human misery and suffering.

A reader Dhaka

A massive construction collapse is nothing new anywhere in the world but a lack of proper investigation is what is heartbreaking for the sufferers in Bangladesh... a beautiful green spot in this huge world. A third-world country but with proven desires to get rid of that title, Bangladesh is constantly suffering from unbearable corruption. I have seen so many good changes in that country in the past 20 years: population control, continuous participation in world peace and security programmes, improvements in roads and highways, development in business sectors, effective innovation of micro-credit systems, massive education drives, tremendous improvement in customer service areas, and in so many more areas that I find it difficult to believe how only a small group of people are easily able to hold the country back from bursting into international fame and shrugging off the 'third-world' title. Why is it that only 1% of the 300+ parliament seats is occupied by people having a high public standing? How can the people of Bangladesh expect justice with a parliament like that?

John S Ahmed Uttara Dhaka