Firefighters try to control a fire at Tazreen Fashions Limited in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on November 24. At least 112 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the fire.
Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Last month's deadly fire at a clothing factory on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital was an "act of sabotage," a government committee of inquiry said Monday.
The panel also said the owner of the factory should be held responsible for gross negligence of safety and should face trial for the lack of safety measures that led to 112 deaths.
Most of the dead in the fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory in Ashulia last month were women. Almost half of the dead were burned beyond recognition and were buried under government supervision after DNA samples were taken.
More than 200 people also were injured in the blaze.
"We're sure it was an act of sabotage, but it needs further investigation by an intelligence or police agency to ascertain who was behind this act of sabotage," said the head of the government committee, Main Uddin Khandaker, an additional secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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"The owner of the factory should be brought to justice, as we find that proper safety measures could have lessened the fatalities," he said after submitting the report to the home secretary.
Factory owner Delwar Hossain could not be reached for comment Monday. He earlier admitted to local media that his factory lacked proper safety measures, but said he had not been aware of it.
A couple of days after the November 24 fire, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also called it a "planned arson."
Police have arrested three mid-level managers and sent them to jail for not allowing the workers to leave the building after the fire alarm went off. They told them "it was for a mock fire drill," officials said.
The committee in its report recommended that the owner and at least nine other mid-level managers should be prosecuted under the Bangladesh Penal Code.
The committee also recommended that the government form a "powerful task force" to ensure safety at garment factories and other facilities across the country.
Ready-made garments make up 80% of Bangladesh's $24 billion in annual exports.
The country has about 4,500 garment factories that make clothes for stores such as Tesco, Walmart, Teddy Smith, J.C. Penney, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Kohl's and Carrefour. The sector earned $19 billion last year.
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Firefighters climb a ladder November 26. Reports suggested that the fire started on the ground floor and the building had no emergency exits.
Masud Rana, one of the survivors, receives treatment at Dhaka Medical Hospital on November 26. The factory was owned by Tazreen Fashions, which manufactured clothing for C&A, Carrefour and Wal-Mart, reports said. Wages at the factory are about $43 a week for a garment worker.
People gather around the garment factory where the fire broke out on November 26.
Bangladeshi firefighters stand in the burned-out building on November 26.
Firefighters douse hot spots on November 25.
A Bangladeshi army staffer walks through rows of charred sewing machines on November 25.
Pedestrians look at the damaged building November 25. Li & Fung, a Hong Kong sourcing company that had placed orders with Tazreen Fashions, said it would help compensate victims' families and conduct its own investigation into the fire.
Bangladeshi garment workers check out the burned stairs of the plant on November 26.
Workers walk past through the debris-strewn plant on November 26.
Bangladeshi firefighters carry an injured man from the fire on November 26.
Firefighters work at the nine-story plant on November 25.
A woman mourns November 25 over the body of a relative who died in the fire.
Bodies of victims are lined up in Savar on November 25. Many workers jumped from high windows to escape the smoke and flames.
Bangladeshi army personnel transport the bodies of victims on November 25.
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