Deadly Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Lives
At least 16 persons have died after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could rise.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned beyond recognition, the fire department stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still missing.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was extinguished after three hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials 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 indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also emits hazardous smoke when ignited.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a significant source of export earnings for the country.