Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the fire department reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial provider of export earnings for the nation.
