The owner of Rana Plaza, the illegally constructed building that collapsed in the worst-ever tragedy in the country’s readymade garment industry, has died of coronavirus in Savar, Dhaka on early Thursday.
Abdul Khalek who was named in several cases over the incident had been out on bail for a long.
On Sunday, he was taken to Enam Medical College Hospital following respiratory complications, but was denied treatment there as he was yet to be tested for coronavirus, said Rowshan Ara, daughter of Khalek.
Half of Rana Plaza tragedy survivors still jobless
Khalek returned home and was being treated there, Rowshan added.
On Monday, samples from his body were submitted to Enam Medical College Hospital on Monday. The test results were received on Thursday and it was found he had contracted COVID-19, but he had succumbed to his infection prior to that.
The hospital has confirmed he had contracted the virus, said Sayem-ul-Huda, Savar upazila health and family planning official.
With this, nine people so far died of the virus in the upazila. In the infamous Rana Plaza collapse, 1,138 people were killed and over 2,000 wounded on 24 April 2013.
