Devastating Clothing Factory Fire in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
At least 16 individuals have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with authorities cautioning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred impossible to identify, the fire service stated.
Grief-stricken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in seeking their family members still not found.
The inferno, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse continued to burn, authorities confirmed.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, media reports said.
Emergency responders have not determined which of the two buildings ignited initially.
Based on witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored chemical bleaching agents, plastic and industrial peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the operators of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official briefed journalists.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also currently underway, he noted.
Tearful family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I was informed 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 expressed to journalists.
The devastating event has once again underscored the security issues facing Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial source of export earnings for the South Asian economy.
