Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the number of victims could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the country.
