Devastating Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials stating that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Crying family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
