A Bangladesh court today ordered 18 people stand trial for the collapse of a garment factory three years ago that killed more than 1,100 people, a prosecutor said.

A senior magistrate issued the order against the 18 charged with breaching building laws in the lead up to the Rana Plaza compound's implosion in 2013, one of the world's worst industrial disasters. No one has yet been convicted over the tragedy which highlighted appalling safety in Bangladesh's USD 27 billion garment export industry, the world's second largest after China.

Thirteen of the accused, including owners of the building and those of factories housed inside, appeared in court to seek their release from jail, saying they were not guilty.

"The judge rejected their discharge pleas and ordered their trial. The hearings will now begin on August 23," prosecutor Anwarul Kabir told AFP, adding that five others still on the run also face trial on the same date.

All 18 face seven years in jail if convicted of the charges. The court has heard how the Rana Plaza owners allegedly violated building codes and illegally extended the nine-storey complex which was initially approved as a six-storey shopping mall.