Bangladesh firefighters battled a new blaze at a garment factory on Monday as the country prepared for a day of mourning after the death of 124 workers over the weekend in the export industry’s worst accident. The second fire broke out at a 12-storey facility on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, with some workers trapped on the roof in a further reminder of the dangerous conditions faced by thousands of poorly paid garment stitchers. “It looks like a huge fire. Our teams have just arrived and are working to douse it,” said Zakir Hossain, a senior fire official.

Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh staged protests on Monday demanding better protection after an inferno on Saturday night trapped more than 1,000 workers and forced many to jump from upper floors at the Tazreen Fashion plant, 30km north of Dhaka.

Survivors told how panicked staff, most of them women, tried to escape the burning factory, which made clothes for international brands including the European chain C&A and the Hong Kong-based Li & Fung company.