By comparison, most of the five million workers employed in Bangladesh's thriving garment export industry have had to leave their rural homes to work in the factories.

BBC: Taking jobs to Bangladesh's poor

To attract foreign investment and help foreign firms avoid garment-export taxes, Bangladesh's government set up special economic zones in Dhaka, the capital, and surrounding cities.

WSJ: Before Bangladesh Collapse, Some Clothing Retailers Fled Risk

The collapse is the latest in a series of deadly incidents that have focused global attention on safety standards in Bangladesh's export garment industry, which is the second biggest after China's.

BBC: Bangladesh collapse: Thousands hold prayers for victims

The downturn was quick to hit Mae Sot's export-focused garment factories.

ECONOMIST: Migrant workers battered by the slump

Police arrested the owner of the building and three proprietors of export-oriented garment factories, alleging that they compelled people to work in the building despite it developing visible cracks a day before the tragedy.

BBC: Bangladesh 'death toll rising'

According to data supplied by Bangladesh's Export Promotion Bureau, garment exports grew by more than 10% in the first eight months of the fiscal year ending in June, helped by diversification into emerging markets.

WSJ: Bangladesh Unrest Risks Derailing Its Textile Boon

Apparel imports would be the first to benefit, extending a lifeline to garment entrepreneurs in Myanmar who used to export half their output to the U.S. until trade was frozen in 2003.

FORBES: Obama May Lift Ban On Made-In-Myanmar As Suu Kyi Visits

But as the country's garment sector has boomed, turning into its biggest export earner, concerns about safety have risen.

WSJ: Another Cambodian Garment Factory Has Accident