Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the fatality count could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire department stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury told journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the South Asian economy.
