Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the death toll could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
