Devastating Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 persons have lost their lives after a huge fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters said.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits poisonous gases when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a major source of economic income for the country.
