Deadly Clothing Factory Fire in the South Asian nation Claims no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 people have died after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service said.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services reported.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, news sources indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Synthetic materials also produces toxic fumes when burned.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official briefed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he expressed to reporters.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again underscored the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for countless of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the nation.
