Bangladesh: Police given 15 days to quiz building owner

A court in Bangladesh has given police 15 days to question the owner of a building that collapsed last week, killing at least 382 people.

Rescuers are now using heavy machinery to cut through the structure, after giving up hope of finding more survivors.

Mohammed Sohel Rana, who was arrested on Sunday as he tried to flee to India, will be held for questioning on charges including negligence and illegal construction. His father, Abdul Khaleque, was arrested on suspicion of aiding Rana to force people to work in a dangerous building.

The illegally constructed, eight-storey Rana Plaza collapsed as thousands of people worked inside in five garment factories. About 2,500 survivors are accounted for.

Rana was taken to the Dhaka court in a bullet-proof vest and led away to an unknown place of detention after the magistrate granted a police request to hold him before filing formal charges.

Rescue officials said yesterday they were unlikely to find more survivors in the rubble.