Death Toll In Bangladesh Factory Collapse Surpasses 650

By Scott Neuman

Published May 6, 2013 at 3:18 PM EDT

A Bangladeshi family member holds up the portrait of her missing relative, believed to be trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza.

The grim toll from the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh last month has risen to more than 650, as more bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the eight-story complex.

The number of people confirmed dead has now reached 657, CNN quoted Col. Sheikh Zaman, a military official overseeing the recovery operation in Savar, as saying.

Meanwhile, Adidas said Monday that it is encouraging workers in Asian factories where its popular sports gear is produced to use a new hotline to report possible grievances.

The Germany-based Adidas AG said in a statement that workers had only to "send an SMS [to the hotline] when they feel their rights are breached."

The Associated Press says: "Adidas' efforts to improve control of labor conditions coincide with a renewed debate on working conditions at the suppliers of Western firms in the wake of deadly incidents in Bangladesh's garment industry."

As we have reported, last month's collapse of Rana Plaza has put several Western retailers supplied by factories in Bangladesh in a difficult position, forcing some of them to take a stand on poor working conditions in the country.