Bangladesh Toll Breaks 500; Engineer Nabbed

More than 500 bodies have been recovered from the Bangladesh garment-factory building that collapsed last week, authorities said today after arresting an engineer who warned the building was unsafe but is also accused of helping the owner add three illegal floors to the structure. Abdur Razzak Khan worked as the Rana Plaza owner's consultant when the owner made the illegal addition atop his five-story building, police said. He was arrested yesterday on a charge of negligence.

Owner Mohammed Sohel Rana called Khan to inspect the building after it developed cracks on April 23, local media reported. That night Khan appeared on a private television station saying that after his inspection he told Rana to evacuate the building because it was not safe. Khan said he drew the attention of government engineers to a need for the building to be examined further. Workers were carefully using cranes to remove the concrete rubble this morning. "We are still proceeding cautiously so that we get the bodies intact," said a top official.