Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby 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 fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has another time underscored the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major source of foreign revenue for the country.