Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
