Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still missing.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically 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 child back," he told reporters.
The devastating event has another time emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
