Forty people have been found alive in the rubble of an eight-storey building that collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on Wednesday.
Fire service officials said 31people were rescued from beneath the collapsed structure on Thursday evening after being found trapped in an air pocket; a further nine people are believed to be still alive in the same space.
The rescue came after army officers co-ordinating the rescue had said hopes were fading for those trapped under the rubble.
More than 230 people were killed when the building splintered into a pile of concrete. One rescue worker said about 2,000 people were working on the upper floors of the factory, the Rana Plaza in the suburb of Savar, when the collapse occurred at about 9am on Wednesday, just after work had started for the day. He said about 1,000 had been pulled from the rubble.
Primark, the discount clothing store, issued a statement on Wednesday saying the company was "shocked and saddened", and confirmed that one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.
On Tuesday police ordered an evacuation of the building after deep cracks became visible in the walls, officials said. But factories based there ignored the order and kept more than 2,000 people working.
Dilara Begum, a garment worker who survived the accident, said supervisors had told them to return to work on Wednesday, saying the building had been inspected and declared safe.
"We didn't want to go in but the supervisors threatened to dock pay if we didn't return to work," she told the Guardian.
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, a senior police official, said factory owners appear to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building.
A bank based in the block sent its staff home on Tuesday, locals said, fearful of a collapse. There was no warning before the rear of the building fell in, followed by most of the upper floors, survivors said.
"I was at work on the third floor, and then suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening. I ran and was hit by something on my head," said Zohra, another worker who was pulled from the rubble.
Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, declared Thursday a day of mourning.
Among the businesses in the building were Phantom Apparels and the New Wave group, which says on its website it supplies companies in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada and the United States.
A spokeswoman for Matalan said: "We can confirm that New Wave has been a supplier to Matalan, although we don't have any current production with them. We are deeply saddened by the news and we have been trying to get in touch with our contacts since we heard to check if we are able to assist them."
There were five garment factories – employing mostly women – in the building. They included Ether Tex Ltd, whose chairman told Reuters he was unaware of any warnings not to open the workshops. "There was some crack at the second floor but my factory was on the fifth floor," Muhammad Anisur Rahman said.
"The owner of the building told our floor manager that it is not a problem and so you can open the factory."
Sheikh Abdul Mannan, a senior official at Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha, the government agency responsible for building safety in Dhaka, said the building broke national building regulations. "We are investigating whether proper planning permissions were taken," he said.
Bangladesh's booming garment industry is one of the country's biggest employers but it has been plagued by fires, building collapses and other accidents for many years despite a drive to improve safety standards. In November 2012, 112 workers died in a blaze at a factory in a nearby suburb, putting a spotlight on global retailers that source clothes from Bangladesh.