Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 people have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with authorities stating that the fatality count could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still trying to locate the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major provider of foreign revenue for the country.
