Tragic Garment Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.
