Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire department reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around midday, was put out after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also emits toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he noted.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the country.
