Bangladesh garment workers clash with police, two wounded

Bangladeshi garment workers furious at job layoffs in the economically vital sector clashed with police and soldiers on Thursday, with two teenagers shot and wounded, officers said.

Thousands of workers marched in the capital Dhaka's Mirpur area to protest job losses and the abrupt closure of a garment factory.

The industry, which accounts for around 85 per cent of Bangladesh's $55 billion in annual exports, has seen months of unrest.

Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest exporter of clothing by value after China and supplies many of the world's top brands, including Levi's, Zara and H&M.

Mohammed Faruq, a police officer at Dhaka Medical College, said two people had been shot at -- aged 15 and 17 -- and were receiving treatment.

Demonstrations on Thursday spiralled into violence, with two vehicles belonging to the security forces set on fire.

Mohammad Abdur Rahman said his 17-year-old son Al Amin had been shot at while leaving the factory where he worked.

"My son has injuries to his hand and back," he said, adding the other teenager had been shot in the leg. "I don't know why these kids were shot."

Kazi Golam Mostofa, the officer commanding a police station in Mirpur, said protests broke out after a factory closed in the wake of the days of tensions.