Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources indicated.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to economic income for the country.
