A COURT in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka charged the two owners of a garment factory and 11 others with manslaughter yesterday over a 2012 fire that killed 112 workers.

It was the first prosecution of factory owners in Bangladesh’s lucrative garment industry, the world’s second largest after China. They face sentences ranging from seven years to life.

Delwar Hossain and his wife Mahmuda Akter, the owners of Tazreen Fashions, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The factory produced clothing for large international retailers including Wal-Mart.