Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Claims at Least 16 Victims
A minimum of 16 individuals have died after a enormous fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the fatality count could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were burned impossible to identify, the fire department said.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in seeking their dear ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after multiple hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities confirmed.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury briefed the media.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he added.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man searching desperately for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my child back," he expressed to journalists.
The tragic incident has once again emphasized the security issues affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages millions of workers and is a major provider of export earnings for the nation.
