Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
