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A firefighter tries to control a fire at a garment factory in Savar, outskirts of Dhaka November 24, 2012. At least 120 died and over 100 were injured as a fire broke out at Tazreen Fashions Limited in Savar on Saturday evening, police said.  REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

Dhaka - At least 120 people were burnt to death as a fire swept through a garment factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital, the chief of the fire brigade said on Sunday.

The fire at the nine-story factory in the Ashulia industrial belt started on the ground floor late on Saturday and quickly spread, trapping hundreds of workers.

“This morning we have recovered 120 dead bodies and the death toll could rise,” Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah, director general of the fire brigade, told reporters.

Bangladesh has around 4,500 garment factories that make clothes for brands including Tesco, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Kohl’s and Carrefour.

Bangladeshis and firefighters battle a fire at a garment factory in the Savar neighborhood in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. An official said firefighters have recovered more than 120 bodies after a fire raced through the multi-story garment factory just outside Bangladesh's capital. (AP Photo/Polash Khan)

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