Ceiling collapses in Cambodian shoe factory, six dead and 11 injured

A factory worker said more than 100 people work every day under the area that collapsed [AFP]

The incident occurred this morning in Kampong Speu province, the south of the country. At the time of the collapse there were at least a hundred workers inside the building, rescuers still searching for survivors in the rubble. The excessive weight of the stored material resulted in the collapse.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Six people are dead following the collapse of the ceiling in a shoe factory in Kampong Speu town, in the province of the same name in southern Cambodia. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning and also caused injuries to 11 people, part of the ceiling gave way falling on top of a group of staff at work. Rescue workers are still engaged in the rescue of survivors from the rubble, at the time of the collapse, there were a hundred employees inside the building.

Dave Welsh, director of the Cambodian American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (ACILS), points out that "the factory is large" and it is not currently possible to provide definitive figures on the victims. Various workers are still missing and it is conceivable that, in the coming hours, the toll could rise.

The company is owned by a Taiwanese entrepreneur and, according to some, produces sportswear - especially shoes - for the Japanese brand Asics. Initial findings report that the cause of the collapse is due to the excessive load of products crammed on the floor, causing it to give way.

The garment industry is among the most important in Cambodia and is high on the list for the volume of exports and manpower. It provides employment to over half a million people, out of a total of 14 million inhabitants, the monthly minimum wage was recently increased, rising from 61 dollars to the current 75. The vast majority of companies produce clothing and footwear for the U.S. and European market.

The collapse of the factory in Cambodia brings to mind the dramatic collapse of the factory in Bangladesh, a real tragedy that has shaken the conscience of citizens and producers around the world. At the center of the controversy the model of entrepreneurial development of the Asian continent - exploited by the West - which forces labor and laborers to work in inhuman conditions as well as extremely dangerous conditions. The collapse of a factory-camps in Bangladesh is just the latest, terrible episode in a long series of accidents.