Woman Miraculously Survived 17 Days Under Rubble

The collapse of a Bangladesh garment factory building is now certainly among the worst industrial disasters in history, Bloomberg reports: The death toll has now hit 1,033. But today one very bright spot emerged. Rescuers say they found another survivor, a staggering 17 days after the collapse, and Reuters reports that she was successfully freed from the rubble. The AP reported that the woman was spotted after she waved a hand at rescuers, who then set to work to get her out using a handsaw and drills. Local TV showed the woman, identified as Reshma, being transported on a stretcher.

Meanwhile, some cite a possible silver lining to the disaster. "The horror was so extreme that I think it will galvanize the possibility of change" in the garment industry, says a labor expert. "It doesn’t mean it will happen, but we can point to historic moments where tragedies of this scale led to change." Another professor isn't so sure: "Without a powerful economic interest lined up behind making changes, nothing will happen." Just this week, another Bangladesh factory fire killed at least eight. (More Bangladesh stories.)