'Panic' in Bangladesh factories as workers collapse in heatwave

Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories, many of which lack basic ventilation and air coolers, and which employ four million women workers at minimum monthly wages of $68

Dhaka (AFP) - Panic broke out in more than a dozen factories in Bangladesh's capital as hundreds of garment workers fell ill in a heatwave, forcing the plants to close, police said Thursday.

Police said 18 factories, which export clothes to Western retailers, had been shut since Wednesday after chaotic scenes saw some 30,000 workers leave in the middle of their shifts.