Deadly Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department stated.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Tearful family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the country.
