Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the country.
