Deadly Clothing Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Has Taken at Least 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 individuals have perished after a massive fire started at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could increase.
A total of sixteen bodies have been recovered but were charred beyond recognition, the firefighters stated.
Grief-stricken relatives converged outside the four-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on that day in search of their dear ones still not found.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
Until 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, journalistic accounts reported.
Emergency responders have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
According to witnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can accelerate fires. Synthetic materials also emits poisonous gases when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, emergency services head the fire service official informed the media.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also ongoing, he noted.
Tearful family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, Farzana Akhter.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he told news media.
The tragic incident has another time highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which engages numerous of workers and is a crucial source of economic income for the country.
