Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Lives
At least 16 people have died after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been found but were burned unrecognizable, the firefighters reported.
Heartbroken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in seeking their family members still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports said.
Fire department authorities have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also produces toxic fumes when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the department director told the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he added.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically 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 loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again emphasized the safety concerns facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a significant source of foreign revenue for the country.
