The owner of the building that collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh is in hiding as questions mount about assurances he reportedly gave that the building was safe.  The death toll is now at least 275 people killed.

Authorities have opened a formal investigation, as the Bangladesh clothing industry points fingers at the building’s owner.  Workers have gone to them and to police and other authorities to report troubling cracks in the eight-floor Rana Plaza building.  When the owner of Rana Plaza allegedly gave the all-clear, as many as 3,000 workers were hustled inside.

Hundreds of people may still be trapped within the giant pile of gnarled ferroconcrete.  Labour activists are working alongside rescuers, pulling out scraps of clothing destined for western retailers, and linking the tragedy to the Wal-Mart, Children’s Place, Benetton, Cato Fashions, Mango, and many others.

PVH is the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.  PVH is proposing a plan in which western clients pay for fire safety and structural upgrades in Bangladesh factories.  The company is still waiting for other western companies to sign on.

Wal-Mart is refusing to go along, proposing its own plan to establish a health and safety institute in Bangladesh to train 2,000 factory managers, leaving the responsibility for safety in local hands.