Devastating Garment Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims no Fewer than 16 Lives
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the death toll could increase.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around noon, was extinguished after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services confirmed.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, news sources said.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also produces poisonous gases when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the department director told the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major contributor to economic income for the South Asian economy.
