Tragic Garment Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the firefighters reported.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still not found.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, journalistic accounts indicated.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The devastating event has yet again emphasized the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a significant source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
