Tragic Apparel Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with authorities warning that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Plastic also produces poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he added.
Crying family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial contributor to export earnings for the country.
