Tragic Apparel Factory Inferno in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Fatalities
At least 16 people have lost their lives after a huge fire started at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services warning that the fatality count could climb.
16 bodies have been retrieved but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Heartbroken relatives assembled outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on Tuesday in search of their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The blaze, which erupted at the factory around lunchtime, was put out after several hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse kept burning, authorities reported.
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.
Fire service officials have not established which of the two buildings caught fire first.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse stored industrial bleaches, plastic materials and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Synthetic materials also releases toxic fumes when combusted.
Police and military officers are still attempting to find the proprietors of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director the department director briefed reporters.
An investigation on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also in progress, he mentioned.
Crying family members gathered outside the fire-damaged buildings, many of them holding photographs of their unaccounted for relatives.
Included in the crowd is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I learned of the fire, I rushed here. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my loved one back," he expressed to news media.
The devastating event has once again highlighted the security issues plaguing Bangladesh's garment industry, which employs millions of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
