Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
A minimum of 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the death toll could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still not found.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several 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.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the fire service official told journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he noted.
Crying family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my loved one back," he told journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.
