Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department reported.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a significant contributor to export earnings for the nation.
