Devastating Clothing Factory Blaze in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
A minimum of 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been retrieved but were burned unrecognizable, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their loved ones still not found.
The inferno, which started at the factory around noon, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse remained ablaze, emergency services said.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been fully extinguished, media reports said.
Fire service officials have not ascertained which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director told reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Weeping family members stood outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I came running. But I still haven't found her... I just want my child back," he stated to reporters.
The devastating event has once again emphasized the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's clothing sector, which employs numerous of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the nation.