Bangladesh garment accident death toll passes 700

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Police say the death toll from last month's collapse of a building housing garment factories in Bangladesh has passed 700.

The police control room overseeing the recovery operation says the toll reached 705 dead Tuesday afternoon as workers pulled more bodies out of the wreckage of the country's worst-ever industrial disaster.

Also Tuesday, hundreds of garment workers who survived the April 24 collapse of Rana Plaza blocked a major highway near the accident site in a Dhaka suburb to demand wages and other benefits.

The protesters were employed in five garment factories housed in the illegally built eight-story building.

Local government administrator Yousuf Harun says they are working with a garment industry body to ensure the workers are paid.

No violence was reported, although traffic was disrupted for hours.