Rana Plaza owner dies from Covid-19

Abdul Khaleque, the owner of collapsed "Rana Plaza" building, died from Covid-19 at his residence in Savar upazila early today.

Rawshan Ara, daughter of Abdul Khaleque, told the Daily Prothom Alo that her father was receiving treatment at home since he started to suffer from shortness of breath since May 31.

"His sample was provided for coronavirus infection test on June 1," she said, adding that the result of that test came out positive today, after her father passed away early in the morning.

Mohammad Sayemul Huda, Savar upazila health and family planning officer, said that the Enam Medical College Hospital has confirmed coronavirus infection as his cause of death.

For the past seven years, Abdul Khaleque was in bail in a number of cases filed against him following the deaths of 1,138 people in Rana Plaza collapse.

On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed eight-story building in Savar that housed five garment factories, collapsed, killing and maiming thousands of garment workers. It was the deadliest structural failure accident in modern human history and the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history.