The Legal Limbo of Climate Refugees
On the evening of 24 November 2012, as hundreds of workers sat behind sewing machines fulfilling orders from transnational companies, a fire broke out inside Dhaka’s Tazreen garment factory. The building was a death trap: outdoor exits were missing, iron grilles barred many windows and the adjacent road was not wide enough for firefighters to get through. Guards and managers reportedly told employees to ignore the false alarm and return to work.
The flames ripped through the building, smoke choking lungs. For workers on the upper floors, the only way out was through the windows. Guided by mobile-phone lights in the darkness, they made their way through the smoulder and jumped, some to their deaths.
That night 124 people were killed. Over 100 others sustained life-altering injuries from the jump. Many relatives weren’t able to identify their loved ones among the charred bodies; 53 bodies were laid to rest unclaimed.
Capt. Paul Duncan/DVIDSHUB