the number of workers employed in textiles, clothing and footwear is unknown due to the differences in statistical measures. it is generally accepted that at least 25 million people, the majority women, work in garment manufacture and up to 300 million in cotton alone. nevertheless, it is really difficult to estimate exactly how many people work in the production sector, because small-scale manufacturing and contracting firms that operate illegally continue to exist within the industry. on the 24th of april 2013, rana plaza disaster happened as one of the biggest tragedies in history of the fashion industry. the search for the dead ended on 13 may 2013 with a death toll of 1,134. approximately 2,500 injured people were rescued from the building alive. it is considered the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history, as well as the deadliest structural failure in modern human history.