Tragic Clothing Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Has Taken no Fewer than 16 Fatalities
No fewer than 16 individuals have lost their lives after a massive fire erupted at a apparel factory in Bangladesh, with officials cautioning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were burned beyond recognition, the fire service said.
Distraught relatives assembled outside the multi-story factory in the Mirpur district of Dhaka on Tuesday in looking for their dear ones still not found.
The blaze, which broke out at the factory around midday, was brought under control after three hours. But an adjacent chemical warehouse remained ablaze, officials reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) that day, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been completely doused, media reports reported.
Fire department authorities have not determined which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse contained industrial bleaches, plastic materials and hydrogen peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also produces toxic fumes when ignited.
Police and military officers are still searching for the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire department chief the fire service official informed reporters.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was operating legally is also in progress, he added.
Crying family members stood outside the charred buildings, many of them holding photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man searching desperately for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I hurried to the scene. But I still haven't found her... I just want my daughter back," he expressed to journalists.
The catastrophic occurrence has once again highlighted the safety concerns plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
