Devastating Apparel Factory Blaze in Bangladesh Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also emits hazardous smoke when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also ongoing, he noted.
Crying family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages numerous of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the nation.
