Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the country.
