Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were burned impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has yet again emphasized the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs numerous of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the nation.
