Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.
A total of sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still searching for the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director briefed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he mentioned.
Weeping family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has once again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the country.
