Deadly Garment Factory Fire in Bangladesh Claims a Minimum of 16 Lives
At least 16 individuals have died after a huge fire broke out at a clothing factory in Bangladesh, with emergency services stating that the number of victims could increase.
Sixteen bodies have been recovered but were incinerated impossible to identify, the firefighters said.
Distraught relatives converged outside the four-level factory in Mirpur, Dhaka on that day in seeking their loved ones still unaccounted for.
The fire, which broke out at the factory around midday, was put out after three hours. But an nearby chemical warehouse continued to burn, emergency services reported.
As late as 21:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, the fire at the chemical warehouse had not been entirely put out, journalistic accounts said.
Fire service officials have not determined which of the two buildings was the origin point.
Per bystanders, the chemical warehouse housed chemical bleaching agents, synthetic polymers and chemical peroxide, all of which can worsen fires. Plastic also releases poisonous gases when ignited.
Law enforcement and armed forces are still attempting to find the owners of the factory and the warehouse, fire service director Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury informed journalists.
An inquiry on whether the warehouse was functioning with proper authorization is also currently underway, he mentioned.
Weeping family members stood outside the burned buildings, many of them clutching photographs of their missing relatives.
Among them is a man looking frantically for his daughter, his loved one.
"When I heard about the fire, I came running. But I still have been unable to find her... I just want my daughter back," he told news media.
The catastrophic occurrence has yet again highlighted the safety concerns affecting Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing, which provides jobs for numerous of workers and is a major contributor to foreign revenue for the country.
