Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a huge fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time highlighted the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.