Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also emits poisonous gases when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the South Asian economy.
