DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Thirteen people were criminally charged Sunday for the deaths of 112 workers in a 2012 Bangladesh clothing factory fire, court documents said.
The accused include Tarzeen Fashions' Managing Director Delwar Hossain and Chairman Mahmuda Akter.
Survivors of the fire -- clothing factory workers in Ashulla, Bangladesh -- said exit doors were locked when the fatal fire broke out. Evidence of lack of adherence to the factory's building code was also found, the Bangladesh news website bdnews24.com said Sunday.
Inspector A.K.M. Mohsin Uz Zaman Khan of the country's Criminal Investigation Department presented the charges to senior judicial Magistrate Wasim Sheikh in Dhaka, charging the accused with manslaughter and death by negligence.
Allegations have surfaced that Delwar, the prime suspect, was being shielded by authorities and victims' families have expressed anger that he had not been arrested more than a year after the fire, bdnews24.com said. The website said several of the executives charged Sunday may have fled the country.
