Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred impossible to identify, the firefighters stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in search of their family members still unaccounted for.
The fire, which started at the factory around noon, was brought under control after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Security personnel are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director informed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Crying family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Among them is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a major provider of economic income for the South Asian economy.
