Fire Toll at Thai Factory Rises to 209

Rescuers worked into the night Wednesday to find more bodies from Monday’s factory fire. More than 200 workers stampeded to their death after guards locked doors to stop them from allegedly stealing the toys they were making.

By evening, the death toll had risen to 209, most of them women, the Interior Ministry said. Rescue teams said they were sure some victims were still under the rubble.

Senior police officials said arson or carelessness might have caused the blaze, believed to be the worst factory fire ever. But they ruled out the possibility of an electrical fault.

At least 182 of the bodies were found at the one staircase adjacent to the few unlocked exits after the building collapsed.

The factory, about 15 miles west of Bangkok, was owned by Kader Industrial (Thailand) Co.