Nearly three years after the Tazreen Fashions factory fire killed more than 100 workers in Bangladesh, a Dhaka court has indicted the factory owners and 11 others on charges of homicide.
When the fire erupted at the eight-story Nishchintapur, Bangladesh building in November 2012, more than 1,150 workers were filling orders for international buyers like Walmart and Spanish brand El Corte Ingles. The fire alarm sounded and workers were reportedly told to remain at their posts to finish the work, and those who tried to flee as the fire spread found themselves trapped in staircases they couldn’t exit or behind iron-barred windows.
Delwar Hossain and wife Mahmuda Akter, Tazreen’s owners, pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. A judge also indicted 11 others in the case, though three remain at large.
The trial will begin on Oct. 1.