Bangladesh, the apparel manufacturing hub, noted a wave of panic when hundreds of garment workers fall ill. Around 18 factories were shut down after 30,000 workers left in the middle of their shifts as some of their fellow workers lost consciousness due to the soaring temperature in the country.

The workers were then rushed to hospital where they were given saline and first aid and were released within an hour.

The workers were attacked by a disease called hysteria conversion reaction. Laborers were malnourished, while a lack of rest owing to rising temperatures and acute power cuts left them further weakened, succumbing to heat waves.

The temperature in Dhaka rose to 36 degrees celsius, but taking humidity into account it would have felt like 51 degrees celsius.

With more than 4,500 garment factories in the country, many of them lack basic ventilation and air coolers.

Accord and Alliance have so far severed business relations with 217 Bangladeshi readymade garment factories on grounds of unsafe working conditions.

Alliance is a coalition of North American retailers. Accord is a grouping of EU retailers.

These groups are interested in structural, electrical and fire safety initiatives at the factories from where they procure products. They have conducted safety inspections at more than 2,600 factories in Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013.