Seventeen people are dead and many more trapped after a building collapsed near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, in the early hours of Monday.

Hundreds of workers are said to have been in the garment factory when it came down.

Relatives joined rescue workers using their hands and crowbars to sift through the debris.

Rescuers used welding equipment to cut through the rubble and to pump air to anyone who might be alive.

Most garment workers in Bangladesh are women but many of the victims are said to be men, who prefer the night shift.

Relatives face an anxious wait for news of their loved ones.

Police said the building collapsed when a boiler exploded. They fear the death toll could rise.