Deadly Apparel Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 persons have lost their lives after a enormous fire broke out at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
16 bodies have been recovered but were incinerated unrecognizable, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has another time highlighted the hazardous conditions facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
