Bangladesh Garment Factory Fire Kills 8 Just 2 Weeks After Deadly Building Collapse

DHAKA, May 9 (Reuters) - Eight people were killed when a fire swept through a garment factory in an industrial district of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, police and an industry association official said on Thursday.

The fire, which broke out overnight in the Mirpur area, occurred two weeks after more than 780 people were killed in a factory collapse outside the city, the South Asian country's worst industrial accident.

"It is not clear to us how the accident happened, but we are trying to find out the cause," Mohammad Atiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told Reuters.

The fire broke out at a factory belonging to the Tung Hai Group, a large garment exporter, after most workers had gone home, police said.

On Wednesday the Bangladesh government said it had shut down 18 garment factories for safety reasons following the April 24 collapse of Rana Plaza, which housed five garment factories making clothes for Western brands.