Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their family members still not found.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he added.
Tearful family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has another time emphasized the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
