Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have died after a massive fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding 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 child back," he expressed to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the nation.