Bangladesh's garment factory scrutiny
02:55 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Bangladesh's prime minister says arsonists were behind the deadly factory fire

Protesters call for an investigation

More than 100 people were killed in the blaze in Bangladesh

Wal-Mart cuts ties with a supplier that subcontracted work to the factory

Dhaka, Bangladesh CNN  — 

Three managers at a Bangladeshi clothing factory were arrested and accused of locking a main gate of the facility hampering people trying to flee a weekend inferno that killed more than 100 workers, police said.

The arrest of the mid-level managers did not stop the continued protests of thousands in the capital city Dhaka Wednesday, as many mourned and called for a full investigation into what happened.

Read more: Factory deaths highlight flaws in global supply chain

The clothing factory, housed in a multistory building near Dhaka, caught fire Saturday night.

More than 100 people were killed and at least 200 were injured as they rushed to escape the factory in Ashulia, police said.

“How the factory caught fire, I don’t know. But when we heard ‘fire,’ we all rushed out and we were trying to get out of the factory,” said Parul Begum, a survivor.

“One factory worker broke a window and one of the workers pulled me through. After the fire, we tried to run out the door, but it was locked. When the floor (became) dark with smoke, the boys came to rescue me,” she said.

The blaze is part of a rash of arsons, the country’s prime minister said earlier this week. The Saturday fire as well another factory blaze Monday were “planned arson,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Monday.

Also two people were arrested Monday trying to set fire to an apparel factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, but local police said they had not yet found any links between the arrests and the other factory fires.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. put some distance between it and the clothing factory, saying the factory was no longer authorized to produce merchandise for the company.

“A supplier subcontracted work to this factory without authorization and in direct violation of our policies. Today, we have terminated the relationship with that supplier,” Wal-Mart said Monday.