Tragic Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 individuals have perished after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were charred unrecognizable, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around noon, was put out after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers are still trying to locate the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the nation.
