Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 persons have died after a huge fire started at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services cautioning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which erupted at the factory around midday, was brought under control after multiple hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse kept burning, officials said.
Up until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports indicated.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings ignited initially.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained bleaching powder, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director informed reporters.
An probe on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Tearful family members gathered outside the charred buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he stated to news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has another time underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's garment industry, which provides jobs for millions of workers and is a major source of export earnings for the nation.
