Devastating Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still missing.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant source of export earnings for the country.