Tragic Garment Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken at Least 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a enormous fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the number of victims could rise.
16 bodies have been found but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service reported.
Grief-stricken relatives gathered outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their loved ones still missing.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) yesterday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
According to eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse contained chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also in progress, he added.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his family member.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still cannot locate her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the hazardous conditions affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which employs countless of workers and is a significant provider of export earnings for the country.
