SAVAR: She was the “miracle” seamstress, plucked from the rubble of the world’s worst garment factory disaster 17 days after her factory collapsed. One year on, she has married and found a new job. Reshma Akhter, 19, was a rare bright spot in the Rana Plaza catastrophe on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on April 24 last year that left 1,138 dead and more than 2,000 injured.

Images of her, dusty and dazed, being plucked from the wreckage graced newspaper front-pages worldwide and turned her into a national heroine. Like thousands of other survivors — as well as the rescuers who faced appalling scenes, often having to perform impromptu amputations on the spot — Akhter still suffers from insomnia and panic attacks.