Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Takes at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major source of economic income for the country.