Tragic Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on that day in looking for their loved ones still missing.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a major source of economic income for the country.
