Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have died after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"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 told journalists.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial provider of economic income for the country.
