The marshy land makes the whole area very vulnerable to earthquakes. “There is no evidence that the collapse was due to the low-lying area, though. We see it as a structural problem due to heavy weight and other factors,” says Alam.

But an earthquake could be a problem. The Dhaka metropolitan area—population 13 million—is growing at about 4.2% a year in an area of 300 sq kilometers. The city itself is literally moving 30.6 mm a year, according to Dhaka University’s department of geology. The prediction is that about 80,000 buildings could be destroyed if a magnitude-6 quake originated beneath Dhaka.

With the major portion of the structure collapsed—except the main column and parts of the front wall—“light equipment to break the concrete, such as vibratory hammers and rock cutters, was used to get people out alive,” Alam says.

But even search-and-rescue efforts are lacking. Better coordination is needed, says Ansary.

“Bangladesh could have asked for help from India or Thailand. It would have speeded up efforts since we don’t have any experience in this kind of rescue operation,” Ansary says. “The presence of a large number of onlookers did not help.”

“We have faced a disaster of this scale for the first time, which has provided insights [on] how we should respond,” says Alam.

The Bangladesh Building Code has 66 laws. “Compliance remains an issue with a lack of trained supervisors,” says Ansary. “We need a buildings' ethics code that can be enforced.”