Deadly Apparel Factory Inferno in the South Asian nation Takes no Fewer than 16 Victims
No fewer than 16 persons have perished after a enormous fire erupted at a garment factory in Bangladesh, with officials warning that the fatality count could rise.
Sixteen bodies have been found but were incinerated beyond recognition, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday in looking for their family members still missing.
The blaze, which started at the factory around lunchtime, was extinguished after several hours. But an neighboring chemical warehouse continued to burn, officials confirmed.
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 ascertained which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Based on eyewitnesses, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, plastic materials and industrial peroxide, all of which can intensify fires. Polymer products also releases hazardous smoke when combusted.
Security personnel are still attempting to find the operators of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An probe on whether the warehouse was running according to regulations is also currently underway, he noted.
Weeping family members waited outside the burned buildings, many of them grasping photographs of their lost relatives.
Present at the scene is a man seeking urgently for his daughter, his family member.
"When I was informed of the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my child back," he stated to journalists.
The devastating event has yet again underscored the hazardous conditions plaguing Bangladesh's clothing sector, which engages countless of workers and is a crucial source of foreign revenue for the South Asian economy.
