Rana Plaza collapsed with 1,134 garment workers inside — the day after cracks were found

On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh, collapsed, killing 1,134 garment workers and injuring over 2,500. It was the deadliest garment factory disaster in history and the deadliest structural failure in modern history.

The building had been constructed with substandard materials and without proper permits. Three additional floors had been added illegally. The day before the collapse, large cracks appeared in the structure, and the building was evacuated. An engineer inspected the building and declared it unsafe. But the next morning, garment factory managers ordered workers to return, threatening to withhold a month's pay.

The building collapsed within 90 seconds of the workers' return. The owner, Sohel Rana, was arrested trying to flee the country and was sentenced to prison. The disaster prompted the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a legally binding agreement signed by over 200 global brands to inspect and improve factory conditions. The case illustrated how the pressure to meet production deadlines can override the most basic safety warnings, and how global supply chains distribute responsibility until no one is accountable.