Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around midday, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing 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 cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a significant contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
