Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have perished after a massive fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the number of victims could climb.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Heartbroken relatives gathered outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in looking for their family members still unaccounted for.
The inferno, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, authorities reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed industrial bleaches, plastic and chemical peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Polymer products also releases toxic fumes when burned.
Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members waited outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he stated to news media.
The tragic incident has yet again underscored the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a significant provider of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
