Bangladesh Rana Plaza rescue hero commits suicide

File photo: Garment workers help evacuate a survivor using lengths of textiles as a slide to evacuate them (AFP) 

DHAKA AFP April26, 2019- A Bangladeshi activist who rescued dozens of people when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in 2013 has committed suicide after suffering years of trauma-related depression, police said Friday.   

Police said Nowshad Hasan Himu, 27, killed himself near the industrial town of Savar late Wednesday on the sixth anniversary of the disaster, which killed 1,138 people in one of the world’s worst industrial tragedies.   

 “He poured kerosene onto his body and set himself in fire. He was rushed to a Dhaka hospital where he died,” Police Inspector Asgar Ali told AFP.   He said they suspect Himu was suffering from a bout of depression, and friends confirmed that Himu had been traumatised by the disaster.   

Tributes poured in for Himu, who was involved in left-wing politics, with friends saying he had struggled to process the deadly building collapse.   

 “He was at the Rana Plaza rescue work for 17 consecutive days. He helped rescue dozens of bodies and survivors,” Taslima Akhter, the garment Union Leader told AFP.